QUEENS, N.Y.-- The young Red Storm men's basketball team had its mettle tested early on Wednesday night, showing grit and determination in staving off St. Francis (N.Y.) for a 72-64 victory in its season-opener. Sophomore Larry Wright contributed a career-high 19 points, drilling jumpers and scoring off the bounce, while Justin Burrell's 12-point effort included a thunderous slam on an upcourt feed from senior Eugene Lawrence, effectively sealing the Red Storm victory with 10 seconds to play in the game.

"I was really happy with how the freshmen and the whole team stuck together," said head coach Norm Roberts, who is now 19-5 at Carnesecca Arena, and 16-3 vs. non-conference foes in front of the Queens crowd. "Geno [Eugene Lawrence] made a great pass to seal it with Justin's dunk at the end. We'll get better; we just have to keep working at it. I really like the fight in the guys and the aggressiveness they show."

A Red Storm lead that grew to 11 points midway through the first half had been cut to three (36-33) by halftime, and St. Francis actually took its only advantage of the night (45-43) when Marcus Williams hit a jumper with 13:52 to play. Rookie big man Dele Coker, a reputed shot-blocker and rebounding presence, hit turnaround jumpers on back-to-back possessions to give the Red Storm a temporary lead. Later, Lawrence drilled a 3-pointer to cap an 18-5 run and put the Red Storm up 13 with 4:09 to play, but the Terriers countered with a 9-0 run of their own to bring it to 65-61 with just under two minutes to go. A pair of Wright free throws was erased by a long Terrier 3 by Jamaal Womack, but Burrell's rim-rocker on the break from Lawrence put an exclamation point on the young St. John's squad's first victory.

For the Terriers, senior Robert Hines put in a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double effort, while Kayode Ayeni netted 12 and Womack scored 10.

As in last Wednesday's exhibition victory over NCAA Division II squad Molloy College, the Red Storm was without returning scoring and rebounding leader Mason Jr., who missed the St. Francis contest while recovering from an ankle sprain.

The victory over St. Francis opened a four-game Carnesecca Arena homestand for the Red Storm. St. John's is next in action on Tuesday, Nov. 20 against Sacred Heart. The game will air live on Sports Radio 66 "The Fan," WFAN 660-AM.

For men's basketball ticket information, schedules, scores and highlights, visit the Red Storm on the Internet at www.redstormsports.com. Tickets can be purchased on-line or by calling the St. John's Ticket Office at 1-888-GO-STORM.