St. John's basketball vs. Sonoma State: Red Storm earn exhibition win, 73-55

Sophomores Phil Greene and Amir Garrett each scored a team-high 17 points while freshman forward JaKarr Sampson added 14 Saturday to help the St. John's Red Storm defeat Sonoma State, 73-55, in a men's college basketball exhibition game at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's led just 37-33 at halftime, however, was able to use its depth and overall talent to wear down its Division II opponent.

Starting guard D'Angelo Harrison scored five points in just 14 minutes of play. The Johnnies' top returning scorer from last season suffered from foul trouble and was limited to just five shots. This allowed St. John's newcomers Sampson, freshman forward Christian Jones and freshman center Chris Obekpa to play considerable minutes.

In a starting role, Jones scored eight points and collected seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Obekpa tallied four and seven in 22 minutes.

Due to possible classification issues, junior forward Orlando Sanchez and sophomore guard Marc-Antoine Bourgault did not play. Neither did senior forward God'sgift Achiuwa, who's still deciding whether or not to redshirt this season.

For more on the Johnnies exhibition, visit check out recaps and analysis for the SB Nation blog Rumble in the Garden here and here.

St. John's finishes up its preseason slate Tuesday against Concordia (7:30 p.m. ET). The Johnnies begin regular-season play, Nov. 13, against the Detroit Titans (2 p.m.).