Media links from St. John's 79-74 win over the DePaul Blue Demons

What the media is saying about the Johnnies' overtime win. Which you will read after taking in the Rumble Recap, Dom Pointer powers Storm to 79-74 OT victory.

Done reading? Ok, the rest of the media links -->

NY Daily News: With D’Angelo Harrison fouling out, JaKarr Sampson and Sir'Dominic Pointer step up to help St. John's top DePaul in Big East OT victory

If you're going for a quantum leap, you might as well get a running start.

On Wednesday night St. John's ran its winning streak to five games with an inspiring 79-74 Big East overtime victory over DePaul at Carnesecca Arena. The Red Storm (14-7, 6-3) took sole possession of third place in the conference and got there with leading scorer D`Angelo Harrison on the bench after fouling out with 3:46 left in regulation.

Ed note: it takes a lot of grit to win a game where many things went wrong - including losing the team's "closer."

Newsday: St. John's outlasts DePaul in OT for fifth straight win

Brandon Young topped DePaul (10-10, 1-6) with 21 points, but he committed a crucial flagrant foul against [Sir`Dominic Pointer] with St. John's holding a one-point lead with 1:04 left in overtime. Pointer made both shots. The Blue Demons missed a tying three-pointer before JaKarr Sampson put it out of reach by hitting two of four foul shots at the end.

If St. John's has a signature win this season, this was it because of the toughness it showed without Harrison. The Red Storm outscored DePaul 14-7 after Harrison fouled out, and Pointer and Sampson each had six points in that stretch.

Red Storm Sports (Official site): St. John's Stifles DePaul In Overtime, 79-74, To Claim Sole Possession Of Third Place In The BIG EAST

St. John's is in sole possession of third place in the BIG EAST Conference at the midway point. Regardless of the fact that the calendar still reads "January" or those critics looking lopsided at the Red Storm's 79-74 overtime victory the conference's 14th-place team late Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena, the youthful Red Storm is doing some impressive things and has taken care of business during its current five-game winning streak.

Wednesday's win over DePaul marked the sixth BIG EAST victory for the Red Storm (14-7, 6-3 BIG EAST), eclipsing its overall win total from 2011-12 and matching last season's number of conference victories.

"We feel we have a lot of momentum, but some may be doubting us because most of the wins were against the bottom half," said sophomore guard D'Angelo Harrison, who had a team-high 17 points for the Red Storm. "We're looking to prove ourselves at Georgetown next, to show that this streak and our conference standing is not just coincidence."

Ed. note: note how the official site even notes the concerns going into the second half of the season - which we will address here on the Rumble.

NY Post: St. John’s Red Storm beat DePaul Blue Demons, 79-74, in overtime Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena

"This is why I came to St. John's," said Sampson, who finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. "To play meaningful games."

Last night's game was memorable and meaningful. The Johnnies blew a 40-31 lead early in the second half, and DePaul (11-11, 1-6) was looking to avenge a 71-62 home loss to St. John's on Jan. 19 in which the Johnnies nearly blew a 17-point lead....

For the first time during this stretch St. John's was not the more aggressive team. That was obvious when coach Steve Lavin was forced to call a timeout just 35 seconds into the game after watching DePaul grab six offensive rebounds.

Ed. note: DePaul is actually 10-10.

ESPN: Johnnies flyin' high into February - Colleges Blog - ESPN New York

"It was tough," Harrison said of having to watch the end of regulation and overtime. "But we have other players on the team, that's what great about this team. … It was a total team effort."

Harrison's right. Lavin used 10 players Wednesday, and nine of them scored. All five starters finished in double figures -- Harrison had a team-high 17, Sampson and Phil Greene IV scored 13 apiece, and Pointer and Jamal Branch each had 11.

Pointer also had a team-high 12 rebounds. "Even though we rely on D’Angelo for a lot, just knowing that we can play without him will help us down the road," Pointer said. "We can still score the ball, we can still do what we've gotta do on offense and defense."

Chicago Tribune: DePaul St John's Big East

DePaul coach Oliver Purnell can be thankful January is in the rear-view mirror for his Blue Demons.

Purnell's team finished the month 1-6 after dropping a spirited 79-74 overtime decision to St. John's on Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena. The loss moved DePaul to 10-10, 1-6 in the Big East Conference.

The Blue Demons gave their best effort during the losing streak, but it wasn't enough to overcome their second loss to St. John's in 11 days. The Red Storm knocked off the Blue Demons 71-62 on Jan. 19 at Allstate Arena.

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