St. Johns to Host NIT Consolations
QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's has been awarded a host site in the 2008 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Consolation Round, which will be played Monday and Tuesday on campus at the newly-renovated Carnesecca Arena.
The Red Storm (2-1), which posted a first-round 86-75 win over Cornell before falling, 82-70 in a back-and-forth contest at Boston College, will face Eastern Michigan (1-2) on Monday, Nov. 24 at 8 p.m. Loyola (Ill.) (1-2) meets the Big Red of Cornell (2-1) to open the action at 5:45 p.m.
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On Tuesday, Nov. 25, following a women's basketball contest vs. Army at 3:30 p.m., Cornell and Eastern Michigan square off at 5:45 p.m., with the Red Storm men's team taking on Loyola (Ill.) in the nightcap at 8 p.m.
Tickets for the Monday and Tuesday NIT doubleheaders are available through the St. John's Ticket Office by calling 1-888-GO-STORM, visiting STJ's athletics website at RedStormSports.com or in person at the Carnesecca Arena box office. The cost of regular admission is $33. Student tickets are $10, and $10 tickets are also available in advance for groups of 20 or more.
St. John's senior swingman Anthony Mason Jr. led the Red Storm in the opening rounds, scoring 18.0 points per game across the two contests and making 44.4 percent of his field goals. Sophomore D.J. Kennedy averaged 15.0 ppg to go along with 5.0 rebounds, and Paris Horne overcame an ankle sprain that sidelined him for the Cornell game to contribute 14 points and three steals in 18 minutes against Boston College. Sophomore floor general Malik Boothe scored 12.0 points per outing and dealt 13 assists with only six turnovers in the two-game span.
All-time, St. John's owns a 9-6 record in Preseason NIT games, making appearances in 1985 (third place), 1989 (second place), 1993 and 1998 (fourth place) in addition to 2008. The STJ basketball program enjoys a prolific history with the Postseason NIT as well, with an unprecedented 26 appearances and five titles dating to when that event was considered the marquee postseason tournament.
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