Published: November 25, 2006
QUEENS, N.Y.
Illinois State’s inside-outside tandem of Greg Dilligard and Boo
Richardson combined for 35 points and St. John’s committed 22
costly turnovers as the Red Storm fell to the visiting Redbirds on
Saturday, 78-65.
St. John’s sophomore Anthony Mason Jr. scored 12, notching
double-figures for the third-straight game. Mason Jr. threw down
the third of his three alley-oop dunks, off a feed from junior
guard Eugene Lawrence, during a 9-1 second half run that chiseled a
12-point Redbird lead to four with 7:20 to play. But the Redbirds
countered with a 14-3 run of their own, increasing their lead to 15
over the next six minutes, halting the Red Storm’s momentum and
putting the game out of reach.
Mason Jr. and senior Daryll Hill each had 12 points to lead the
Red Storm, with nine of Hill’s points coming in the second half.
St. John’s put together a much better second period, turning the
ball over three times (vs. 19 in the first half) and using its
bench to outscore the Illinois State reserves 14-0 in the second
stanza.
For the game, four Redbirds reached double-figures in the
scoring column, led by Richardson’s 18 points and Dilligard’s 17
with 11 rebounds. Senior Roberto Fortes scored 13 for the Redbirds,
while Junior Anthony Slack contributed 10.
First-half turnovers cost the Red Storm early as the squad fell
behind by as many as 15 points with 7:27 to play. Freshman forward
Qa’rraan Calhoun contributed a 3-point play during a 7-0 St. John’s
run, falling away for two and then hitting his bonus free throw to
bring St. John’s within eight. The Red Storm shot 60 percent from
the field in the first half, led by junior Avery Patterson’s eight
points and a career-high six points (3-of-3 field goals) from
sophomore big man Tomas Jasiulionis, but St. John’s could not
overcome its 19 first-period miscues and trailed, 41-31, at
halftime.
The St. John’s home crowd continued to impress despite the loss,
numbering 4,038 strong notwithstanding the Thanksgiving holiday and
a limited amount of students on campus. The Red Storm has averaged
4,110 fans in a total of three games at Carnesecca Arena this
fall.
The Red Storm continues a stretch of non-conference home games
on Tuesday, Nov. 28, when St. John’s play host to the local LIU
Blackbirds. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.