NEW YORK — Shamorie Ponds was looking forward to playing his first game at Madison Square Garden this season.
And the fact that the game had the added juice of being the first matchup between Iona and St. John’s since 1995 only added to Ponds’ hype factor.
The sophomore guard from Brooklyn seized the moment by scoring 16 points and grabbing 4 rebounds as the Red Storm knocked off the Gaels, 69-59, in front of 9,515 at the MSG Holiday Festival.
Justin Simon added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists points and Marvin Clark II had 12 points and 5 rebounds for St. John’s, which continues to play without Marcus LoVett (sprained left knee). Bashir Ahmed added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Tariq Owens scored 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks.
“You could just feel the energy from the crowd,” Simon said. “I think that motivated us a lot to play hard and get out there have fun.”
St. John’s won despite not hitting a single three-pointer (0-for-12) for the first time since Nov. 15, 2013.
Deyshonee Much led Iona (5-5) with 15 points.
Iona closed to within 58-51 on a jumper by Rickey McGill with about 5 minutes remaining, but St. John’s answered with a 7-0 run capped by an Owens dunk to push it to 65-51. After the game was tied at 25 at the half, the Red Storm outscored the Gaels 44-34 after the break.
“We’re not really used to playing guys that strong and athletic, so it was kind of tough,” said Iona’s EJ Crawford, who scored 12 points with 5 rebounds. “We have to work on that.”
St. John’s (9-2) was coming off an 82-70 loss to Bobby Hurley and Arizona State on Dec. 8 in Los Angeles.
The Red Storm will next play St. Joe’s on Wednesday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase at Mohegan Sun Arena, before beginning Big East Conference play Dec. 28 against Providence.
“I think we can use St. Joe’s as a good prep game to get ready for the Big East,” Simon said. “They’re a scrappy team.”
St. John’s improved to 7-3 against the Gaels. The two teams hadn’t met since Dec. 27, 1995 in the opening round of the ECAC Holiday Festival. Iona won that game, 70-57, before falling to Rick Pitino’s loaded Kentucky team that featured nine pros who went on to win the NCAA championship.
For Iona coach Tim Cluess, it was a chance to play against his old school and the school where all three of his brothers and his sister attended.
“It means so much to my family and myself,” he said. “Getting a chance to play them is phenomenal. I wish we had played better, obviously.
“I love the fact that we got an opportunity, I hate the fact that we lost.”
Photo: @StJohnsMBB
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