NEW YORK (AP)—D.J. Kennedy had a career-high 23 points, fellow sophomore Sean Evans had his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and St. John’s opened the season with a 73-63 victory over Long Island University on Friday night.
Kennedy, who scored 18 points twice as a freshman including once against LIU, was 8-of-14 from the field, including 2-of-6 from 3-point range. That was the best effort from behind the arc for the Red Storm, who finished 4-of-23 (17 percent).
Kyle Johnson had 23 points for the Blackbirds (0-1), who committed 18 turnovers that led to 19 points for St. John’s.
Johnson’s third 3 of the game brought LIU within eight with 5:13 to play, but Kennedy hit his last 3 of the game with 3:50 left to give the Red Storm a 66-54 lead.
Evans, who averaged 3.1 points and 2.5 rebounds as a freshman, had six rebounds in the first half as the smaller Blackbirds outrebounded St. John’s 23-18. The Red Storm turned that around in the second half to finish with a 44-40 advantage.
