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Picking up their second Big East Conference win of the year, the St. John's Red Storm (13-5, 2-4) toppled the Marquette Golden Eagles (10-8, 2-4), 60-57, in front of the Madison Square Garden faithful.
The Johnnies came back from an eight-point second half deficit to claim the victory over the visitors from Wisconsin.
Leading the way with a stat sheet stuffer of a game was Sir'Dominic Pointer. His lay-up with 2:45 to play put the Johnnies up for good. He'd pile up 15 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and two steals. Easily the most aggressive player on the court, Pointer set the tone for the Red Storm's narrow victory.
Rysheed Jordan would tie for the lead in scoring with 15 points.
Despite the disappearance of D'Angelo Harrison, who'd score just 11 points on 3-for-18 shooting, the Johnnies got contributions from the entire six-man rotation. Harrison's free throws with 14.7 left would ice the contest for the Red Storm.
Chris Obekpa was the defensive hero, blocking four shots, along with snagging 10 rebounds. It was his physical presence down low that set the tone for the entire contest-if he wasn't blocking the shot, he was almost certainly altering it.
For the Golden Eagles, it was Matt Carlino leading the way with 21 points. He'd come out firing in the second half, knocking down the first four threes he'd take. His deep three at the buzzer went begging, avoiding overtime and allowing the Johnnies to pick up the win.
Also of note was JaJuan Johnson's posterization of Chris Obekpa midway through the first half. If nothing else, the Eagles can take solace in that.
Up next for the Red Storm will be a collision with the Duke Blue Devils (16-2, 4-2) on Sun., Jan. 25, at 2:00 p.m. from Madison Square Garden. The game will draw major national media attention due to Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski currently having won 999 games in his head-coaching career. Should he top the Red Storm on Sunday, he'll be the first men's basketball coach to reach the 1K mark.