New York City - St. John's defeated an improved Fordham team 56-50 in the MSG Holiday Festival. The festival was just a one day doubleheader so a meeting with Rutgers will have to wait. At any rate, let's take a look at the possessions and efficiency.

Possessions:

Fordham 68

St. John's 68

On the deliberate to moderate side. A hint that the teams were running half court sets but would break on opportunities. Both teams did use a lot of zone on the defensive end which extended the length of a number of possessions.

The offensive efficiency:

Fordham 73

St. John's 83

When you hold a team to 83 offensive efficiency, you are pretty certain of victory. Not if your offense puts up a 73 however. That is just what happened with the Rams. They got the job done and even had a low 14.6% turnover rate, compared to the 22% of St. John's. A huge difference 42-24% edge in offensive rebounding percentage was a big factor in the Red Storm victory.

A look at plays. We use the same formula but do not subtract offensive rebounds.

Plays:

Fordham 77

St.J John's 84

Play Efficiency:

Fordham .65

St. John's .67

The St. John's offensive rebounding gave them a good seven additional p;lays. A very big factor in what ended a two possession game.