D.J. Kennedy scored 16 points to lead St. John's to an 83-70 victory over Long Island on Friday in the season opener for both teams. Kennedy shot 5-for-11 from the field and grabbed seven rebounds to lead five different St. John's players in double figures. Dwight Hardy chipped in with 14 points, while Paris Horne, Justin Burrell and Justin Brownlee each scored 12. The Blackbirds were paced by Jaytornah Wisseh, who scored 28 points on 9 of 15 shooting. Long Island used a 14-5 run in the second half to cut the St. John's lead to 71-64 after two free throws by Wisseh with 4:56 remaining. However, Long Island would get no closer, as St. John's would only allow the Blackbirds to score six more points for the rest of the game. Long Island shot 85.7 percent from the free throw line (18 for 21), but shot only 38.3 percent from the field (23 for 60).
