St. John’s downs Iona in first meeting since 1995

NEW YORK — Shamorie Ponds was looking forward to playing his first game at Madison Square Garden this season.

And the fact that the game had the added juice of being the first matchup between Iona and St. John’s since 1995 only added to Ponds’ hype factor.

The sophomore guard from Brooklyn seized the moment by scoring 16 points and grabbing 4 rebounds as the Red Storm knocked off the Gaels, 69-59, in front of 9,515 at the MSG Holiday Festival.

Justin Simon added 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists points and Marvin Clark II had 12 points and 5 rebounds for St. John’s, which continues to play without Marcus LoVett (sprained left knee). Bashir Ahmed added a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Tariq Owens scored 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 blocks.

“You could just feel the energy from the crowd,” Simon said. “I think that motivated us a lot to play hard and get out there have fun.”

St. John’s won despite not hitting a single three-pointer (0-for-12) for the first time since Nov. 15, 2013.