St. John’s defeats Providence to snap losing streak

The St. John’s Red Storm (14-11, 3-9) got back in the win column Wednesday night in Queens, cruising to an 80-69 victory over the Providence Friars (13-12, 6-6).

LJ Figueroa led the Red Storm with 19 points, but three other players also found themselves in double-figures, as Julian Champagnie had 14, Rasheem Dunn had 13, and Marcellus Earlington had 12.

The Red Storm will need their scorers to step up now, with the news that Mustapha Heron’s collegiate career is “likely over”. Heron leads St. John’s in scoring this season with 13.7 points per game.

The story for Providence was similar to what the story has been for them for most of the year. Alpha Diallo was the best player on the court (for either team, really), chalking up 19 points and hauling in a career-high 17 rebounds. David Duke and AJ Reeves each added 12 points, but that was about it for the Friars.

Providence also had no answer for St. John’s press, turning the ball over 24 times, resulting in 16 points for the Red Storm.

The Friars now return home for a big matchup with Seton Hall on Saturday, while St. John’s will be off until Monday when they host Xavier.