BOX SCORE / PHOTO GALLERY / POST-GAME QUOTES

Jamaica, NY – Junior Tyler Murray (Toronto, Ontario / Eastern Commerce) scored 14 of his game-high 21 points in the second half but it was not enough as St. John's held off a feisty Wagner squad by a 69-61 count at Carnesecca Arena. The Seahawks, who rallied from 16 down to cut it to four on two occasions, fall to 3-3 while the Red Storm improve to 5-1 despite being held to 36.1 percent shooting from the floor.

Wagner whittled a 16-point deficit down to four on three separate occasions in the second half but could not get any closer as St. John's escaped with its fifth-straight win thanks to 21 points off 21 Seahawk turnovers. The Red Storm also went to the line 36 times, compared to just 17 for the Green & White.

Murray scored his career-best matching 21 points, on 7-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-6 from long range, and a perfect 4-of-4 from the line while adding five rebounds and three assists over 37 minutes. Sophomore Josh Thompson (Richland, NJ / St. Augustine Prep) notched a season-best 12 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, with five rebounds. Rounding out the double-figure scorers for the Green & White was freshman Latif Rivers (Elizabeth, NJ / Avon Old Farms (CT)), who had 11 points with a career-high seven rebounds and four assists.

Down 10 at the half, Wagner saw the deficit increase to 16 at 46-30 after a 7-0 spurt by St. John's. The senior-laden Red Storm, however, could not put away the never say die Seahawks. The Green & White would answer with a 9-2 spurt, cutting the lead back to nine at 48-39 with 14:18 to play. Rivers drilled a pair at the line before finding Thompson for a fast-break lay-up. Senior Clayfell Harris (London, England / Bridgton Academy (ME)) split a pair from the line and after the St. John's momentarily answered with a lay-up, Thompson had another lay-up and Murray hit a pair from the line.

The teams would continue to battle and with Red Storm extending the lead back out to 13 only to have Wagner get it to four at 58-54 at the 6:28 mark that was capped by a 6-0 run. After St. John's answered with a jumper, Thompson responded with a jumper of his own. The Seahawks  then had a chance to get it to within two but Murray missed a lay-up and D.J. Kennedy extended the lead out to six with a pair of free throws.

Following a St. John's timeout, head coach Dan Hurley drew up a perfectly executed play that saw Thompson find a slashing Murray for a wide-open lay-up, slicing the lead back to four at 62-58 with 4:33 to play. The Seahawks would get the ball back with a chance to further dent the lead but came up short and the Red Storm again answered, drilling a pair from the line. Wagner would continue to fight, cutting the lead to five on a Murray three pointer and had a chance to make it a one-possession game but turned the ball over as St. John's would hit three free throws en route to a 69-61 win.

Wagner shot 42.0 percent (21-50) for the game, including 37.5 percent (6-16) from beyond the arc and 76.5 percent (13-17) from the charity stripe while outrebounding a much bigger St. John's team by a 44-38 count. The Red Storm wereforced into 36.1 percent (22-61) shooting, including just 17.6 percent (3-17) from beyond the arc, but managed to earn the win thanks to converting 22-of-36 from the charity stripe.

Kennedy led St. John's with 20 points, on 6-of-12 shooting, with six rebounds in 27 minutes while Dwight Hardy scored 10 points.

In the first half, the Seahawks sprinted out to an early 6-0 lead on three pointers from Murray and Rivers before the Red Storm rallied for six-straight points of their own. With the score tied at 13-13 at the 11:14 mark of the first, St. John's ripped off a game-changing 16-5 run over the next 3:23, using a full-court press that forced four turnovers that led to lay-ups as the Red Storm assumed a 29-18 with 7:51 to play. Wagner would cut the lead to seven on two occasions before St. John's went into halftime up 36-26.

The Seahawks scored a first-half low of 26 points, on 30.6 percent (10-28) shooting, but managed to stay in the game thanks to another outstanding defensive effort that forced the Red Storm into just 30.6 percent (11-36) shooting, highlighted by a 3-of-19 defensive stand to begin the game. St. John's did not commit a turnover until the 4:09 mark of the first half and had just two miscues in the first 20 minutes while owning a 15-4 advantage in points off turnovers.

Wagner returns to action on Saturday, December 4 when the Seahawks travel to Sacred Heart for their first Northeast Conference (NEC) match-up of the season.