SU Hosts Red Storm In BIG EAST Opener
1/5/2004 5:05:29 PM | Men's Basketball
SYRACUSE, NY -- Syracuse (9-1) begins its 25th season of BIG EAST Conference play by hosting St. John’s (4-6) on January 7 in the Carrier Dome.
The Orangemen have won nine straight since losing the first outing of the year to Charlotte. On Saturday, Syracuse defeated Michigan State, 96-83, at the Carrier Dome. Junior forward Josh Pace led the way with 22 points and eight rebounds.
Sophomore Billy Edelin garnered BIG EAST Co-Player of the Week honors for his performance during the week of Dec. 28 - Jan. 4. Against Canisius on Dec. 30, Edelin poured in a career-best 28 points and also notched nine rebounds and nine assists. He contributed 22 points against Michigan State.
St. John’s makes its first Dome appearance under interim head coach Kevin Clark. The Red Storm is 2-2 with Clark at the helm and 4-6 overall. St. John's has won its last two games, defeating Holy Cross 64-61 on Dec. 29 and posted a 72-65 win versus Niagara on Jan. 3.
Elijah Ingram (13.9 ppg) and Grady Reynolds (13.1 ppg) are St. John's two top scorers. Kyle Cuffe is the squad's top rebounder, averaging 6.4 boards per contest.
Slow starts have plagued the Red Storm thus far. St. John's has been outscored 324-271 in the first halves of its 10 games.
The Orangemen hold a slight 38-36 advantage in the all-time series, including a 23-18 in BIG EAST regular-season play. St. John's won 10 of the first 12 pairings, but SU has recorded five straight wins twice in the series and has posted victories in the last two matchups.
The last three meetings have been decided by a total of nine points. On Feb. 19, 2000, SU rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit , but a layup by Reggie Jessie with 28 second left gave the Red Storm a 76-75 win. Four Orangemen scored in double figures with Jason Hart leading the way with 18 points. On March 4, 2001, current SU staff member Allen Griffin notched a career-high 31 points, including a school-record 18 free-throws, in a 93-91 double-overtime triumph at Madison Square Garden. Last season, Carmelo Anthony scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in SU's 66-60 victory on Feb. 18, 2003. The Red Storm attempted a BIG EAST and Carrier Dome record by hoisting 41 three-pointers. Ingram put up 20 of them, an SU opponent record. Marcus Hatten led St. John's with 22 points. He also set an SU opponent record with 10 steals.
Wednesday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN Regional Television (Time Warner Channel 26 in Syracuse). John Sanders handle the play-by-play duties and Bucky Waters will provide color commentary. The contest will also be televised on Time Warner Cable in Albany and on MSG.
Fans can listen to the game on the SU Radio Network. The pre-game show will begin 60 minutes prior to tip off on 1260 AM with the rest of the network joining the broadcast 30 minutes before game time. Fans can also hear the contest live via the Internet at www.suathletics.com.
All gates at the Carrier Dome will open 90 minutes prior to tip-off.
