St. John's knocks off Syracuse 69-57 at the Carrier Dome behind Phil Greene's late shooting

In the battle for the best team in New York, St. John's defeated Syracuse, 69-57, at the Carrier Dome for the first time since 1999. D`Angelo Harrison led the Johnnies by scoring 24 points but Phil Greene IV was the hero scoring 11 straight points late in the game to lead the Johnnies to a huge resume building win.

Sir'Dominic Pointer scored 9 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while Chris Obekpa grabbed 16 boards and blocked 4 shots.

Rysheed Jordan came off the bench for the second straight game and scored 11 points while limiting his turnover total to four.

This was the first true road game for St. John's and it was a big victory that could go a long way in March. Before today, Syracuse had not lost a game in the non-conference at home since 2008 when Cleveland State upset them.

Rakeem Christmas was the anchor for 'Cuse scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 boards. Chris McCollough had 13 points and 8 boards but Trevor Cooney only scored 2 points.

Before halftime, St. John's went on a 10-3 run to take a four-point lead. D'Angelo Harrison scored the final five points of the half including a three pointer that was beyond NBA range.

Syracuse dominated the offensive glass in the first half but they failed to knock down three pointers, 1-for-14, against St. John's zone defense.

The Johnnies were also very effective on the fast break in the first half. They were able to get their offensive running down the court before Syracuse could set up their defense.

In the middle of the second half, Syracuse went on a 9-1 run as their defense starting trapping the ball in the corner and forcing some turnovers. The crowd was back in the game but the Johnnies were able to counter with their senior leadership.

Despite struggling for most of the game, Phil Greene was a force down the stretch. In the final four minutes he hit three, three's and scored 11 straight points. It was the second straight clutch performance but this one was in a victory for St. John's.

The biggest turnarounds for the Red Storm to spark a victory were their free throw shooting and the ability to limit the turnovers. They shot 80 percent from the line and they only turned the ball over 10 times.

The Johnnies had problems in the paint as they got out-rebounded, 40-38, and gave up 15 offensive boards but they were able to counter those numbers by blocking shots, playing physical and forcing turnovers.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Johnnies did a great job of getting the ball to Pointer in the high post and creating good looks for most of the game.

The Red Storm shot 56 percent from the three point line while Cuse only shot 14 percent.

St. John's will return home with a 6-1 record and they will face Fairleigh Dickinson on Wednesday at Carnesecca Arena at 8 pm.

Rumble will have coverage throughout the week.