by QUEENS, N.Y. – Sophomore Duane Wilson tallied a game-high 17 points, while freshman Henry Ellenson totaled his 11th double-double of the season and Marquette was able to hang on for the 78-73 win over St. John’s inside Carnesseca Arena on Sunday.
The matchup, originally scheduled to take place Saturday night at Madison Square Garden, was postponed due to Winter Storm Jonas that slammed the East Coast and dropped nearly 2 feet of snow on New York City.
The Golden Eagles (13-7, 3-5 BIG EAST) shot 51.9 percent (27-52) from the field and went 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) from the charity stripe en route to the win, and sweep the season series from the Red Storm (7-13, 0-7 BIG EAST), which shot just 34.8 percent (24-69) and remains winless in league play this season.
Wilson was efficient from the field, going 6-for-10, including 2-for-4 from distance, while Ellenson set a career-high with 18 rebounds to go along with 16 points and four blocks in the win. Freshman Haanif Cheatham added 14 points, two assists and two steals.
Following an ally-oop from Traci Carter to Sandy Cohen III (Oneida Tribe) to make it 60-50 with just under 8 minutes remaining in regulation, the Red Storm used a 9-1 run to get back into the contest and would eventually cut the deficit to a single possession. Cohen finished with 9 points for the game in 19 minutes of play.
With Marquette leading 76-73 with under a minute to go, St. John’s Frederico Mussini, who scored all 19 points in the second half, saw his potential game-tying 3-pointer fall off the mark in the waning seconds and the Golden Eagles escaped their winter adventure with a much-needed BIG EAST victory.
Cohen finished with nine points and a career-high seven rebounds, while Luke Fischer and Jajuan Johnson each tallied eight points apiece. Durand Johnson of St. John’s led all scorers with 20 points.
The Golden Eagles will return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 27, closing out the non-conference portion of their schedule against Stetson. FOX Sports 1 will televise the contest, which is slated for 8 p.m. Central time.
