Storm Surge Past Bison
QUEENS, N.Y. - D.J. Kennedy scored 17 points and St. John's rode a hot shooting night to a 79-44 victory over Howard in Carnesecca Arena on Saturday.
The Red Storm (3-1) shot 46.2 (30-of-65) percent from the floor and also made 7-of-15 3-point attempts in the win.
"I think we didn't have enough confidence to start the game and we knew that once St. John's got into their comfort level it was going to be tough," Howard head coach Gil Jackson said. "They're a BIG EAST team who plays the BIG EAST style of basketball. They played a little rougher than what we're used to. We got off to a slow start and we couldn't recover from it."
STJ also received 15 points from Paris Horne who was 6-of-12 from the field.
The Bison were led in scoring by Kyle Riley who had 11 points, while Eugene Myatt and Paul Kirkpatrick added eight points apiece.
Kirkpatrick and Kandi Mukole chipped in two blocks each.
The Red Storm quickly assumed command of the contest after Riley drained a 3-pointer to close HU within one point of the lead at 15:52.
The Bison went scoreless for the next 6:19 as St. John's jumped to a 12-0 run, pushing its lead to 16 with 8:55 left in the half.
Kennedy scored six of STJ's points during that run.
"D.J. Kennedy is a good player, I've been watching him on TV," Jackson added. "He's tough and he gets it done."
St. John's outscored Howard 40-20 in the paint and 16-2 in points off turnovers. The Bison, however, had a 44-22 advantage in bench points.
"We play UIC on Tuesday so we have a chance to play right away," Jackson said. "We have to be tougher mentally and have to believe in ourselves a little bit more."