The first night of the Mike Anderson Era was an impressive success as St. John’s had little trouble with Mercer, posting a comfortable 109-79 victory under their new head coach at Carnesecca Arena. Butler, DePaul and Georgetown also posted wins Wednesday to lift the BIG EAST overall record to 11-0 in the young season.
The 109 points for St. John’s was the program’s highest point total in more than 20 years. Mustapha Heron scored a game-high 25 points and L.J. Figueroa added 18 points and four steals. Sophomore forward Marcellus Earlington took advantage of an enhanced role by recording 17 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes.