Big East 2016-17: Shamorie Ponds and St. John's knock off Butler (Highlights)
Dec 29, 2016; Queens, NY, USA; St. John's Red Storm celebrates the win against the Butler Bulldogs at Carnesecca Arena. St. John's Red Storm won 76-73. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

What a sizzling start for Shamorie Ponds and St. John’s vs. the Big East in upsetting No. 13 ranked Butler.

  • St. John’s Red Storm 76 (7-7, 1-0)
  • Butler Bulldogs 73 (11-2, 0-1)
  • NCAA, Final, Box Score
  • Carnesecca Arena, Jamaica, Queens
It’s been an inconsistent stretch so far for the St. John’s men’s basketball this season, but, lately, they’ve been on a roll.

After crushing Syracuse at the Carrier Dome by 33 points, St. John’s pulled off another impressive victory on Thursday night, upsetting No. 13 Butler in the Big East opener at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John’s was down by as many as 10 points in the second half but came back late to take the lead and hung on for a 76-73 win.

St. John’s improves to 7-7 while Butler falls to 11-2.

Once again, freshman Shamorie Ponds came up big down the stretch for the Red Storm. He scored a total of 26 points and also hit four clutch free throws in the final 9.1 seconds.

Bashir Ahmed had 19 points for St. John’s.

After winning a total of only one game in Big East play, St. John’s already won their first Big East game in their opener.

It’s been an up and down stretch so this win has got to be a great feeling for St. John’s. They may not be tourney ready yet but they are definitely more competitive along with more talented.

Ponds, and Ahmed, along with another freshman in Marcus Lovett, have already proven what an impact they make as youngsters.

St. John’s could go through more inconsistent stretches and show their inexperience, but they definitely have proven, in their wins, that they are a bonafide team on the rise. This win against a top 20 team should boost their confidence as their Big East games continue.

 NEXT: Johnnies looking at transfer Jahmal McMurray 

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David Hong
Other than God, sports are my biggest love. My teams are the Mets, Knicks, NY Giants, NY Rangers and St Johns basketball (St. John's alumni). I especially love the Mets like crazy, more than any other team and seeing them win the World Series would be a dream come true and definitely the best sports moment. The Knicks are a close second. I also like to write, so combine that with my passion for sports equals a perfect scenario, I would love to do sports writing long term. If not that, then probably sports broadcasting, cause I love to talk sports as well. In addition to writing for ESNY, I'm also currently writing for Metsmerizedonline.

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