Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Sir'Dominic Pointer scored 15 points,
including the game-winning bucket at the buzzer, as the fifth-seeded St.
John's Red Storm nipped the fourth-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks, 63-61, in
first-round action of the 2013 National Invitation Tournament at Hagan Arena
on Tuesday night.
The Red Storm (17-15) now move on to the second round of the tournament and
will meet the winner of the Virginia/Norfolk State contest.
JaKarr Sampson led the way with 16 points for St. John's, while Phil Greene IV
chipped in with 10 points.
For Saint Joseph's (18-14), Carl Jones led all scorers with 21 points, while
Langston Galloway finished with 16 points, Ronald Roberts tallied 10 points
and Halil Kanacevic pulled down 12 rebounds and swatted four blocks.
The Hawks led at halftime, 32-26, as they shot 48.1 percent from the field and
connected on 5-of-8 from 3-point range. St. John's made just 36.4 percent of
its field goal tries in the first half, including 2-of-5 from 3-point
distance.
After intermission, the Red Storm came on strong, knocking down 55.2 percent
of their tries from the field. The Hawks struggled in the second half,
shooting just 30 percent from the field and 3-of-8 from 3-point range. The
Hawks pushed their lead to as many as 11 midway through the half before the
Red Storm mounted their comeback, including a 12-2 run that gave them the lead
late in the game. The Hawks knotted the contest at 61-61 on two free throws by
Roberts with 10 seconds left in regulation, but Pointer answered with his
game-winner, a fadeaway jumper as time expired, to give the Red Storm the
thrilling win.
The Red Storm outscored the Hawks in the paint, 32-22. Saint Joseph's
finished with a 39-33 rebounding edge.
GAME NOTES:
The Sports Network