Conference play opened in the Big Ten and the Big East on Tuesday, and the spotlight fell on the St. John's Red Storm, at home in Carneseca Arena to face Providence, which came into the game sporting a gaudy 10-2 record.But it was St. John's, which improved to 7-5 with a dominating, 91-67, victory led by true freshman Moe Harkless, who was simply unstoppable, hitting 14 of 17 shots from the field for a career high 32 points.
Harkless, a 6'8" forward with considerable upside, also controlled the boards, snatching a game high 13 rebounds, for his 4th double-double of the season, all coming within the last five games.
The Red Storm hasn't fared well against ranked opponents this season, losing to Kentucky, Arizona and Texas A&M, but they got off to a fine start in conference play. Their other losses were to Northeastern and Detroit.
With three straight wins, St. John's looks forward to their next test, when they face the Connecticut Huskies in Storrs, CN, at noon on New Year's Eve.
