NEW YORK (AP) -- Shomorie Ponds scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half and combined with Justin Simon for nine points in a game-ending run as undefeated St. John's fended off Princeton 89-74 on Sunday at the Madison Square Garden Holiday Festival.

Princeton trailed by 19, 75-66, with eight minutes left after Ponds scored 10 points in a 26-8 run. But the Tigers responded by outscoring the Red Storm 18-5, capped by a 3-pointer by Jose Morales, and closed within six with 3:41 remaining but didn't score again, missing their final six shots.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Marvin Clark II made four 3-pointers and scored 21 points, Mustapha Heron added 17 points and undefeated St. John's held off Mount St. Mary's 85-71 on Wednesday night.

It's the first time St. John's has been 8-0 since the 1990-91 season, when Malik Sealy and the Johnnies eventually reached the Elite Eight.

LJ Figueroa had 13 points and 11 rebounds for St. John's, which has won its last 11 non-conference home games. Justin Simon added 14 points and Shamorie Ponds, who had averaged 27 points in his last four games, had 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists.

MIAMI (AP) Shamorie Ponds scored 37 points, including a personal 9-0 run down the stretch, and St. John's rallied from 16 points down in the second half to beat Georgia Tech 76-73 on Saturday at the HoopHall Miami Invitational.

Justin Simon and LJ Figueroa each scored 13 for the Red Storm (7-0), who are off to their best start since 1994-95.

Jose Alvarado scored 17 for Georgia Tech (4-3), while James Banks III and Brandon Alston each scored 14 for the Yellow Jackets. Moses Wright scored 12 for Georgia Tech, which has dropped two straight.

During what is shaping up to be another bleak winter for New York's pro basketball teams, Shamorie Ponds and St. John's could be the bright light for Big Apple basketball.

While the Knicks and Nets are a combined 15-30 entering Friday, Ponds and the Red Storm are off to the program's first 6-0 start since 2009-10.

The Red Storm will look to secure their first 7-0 start since 1994-95 when they take on ACC foe Georgia Tech in the Hoophall Miami Invitational on Saturday afternoon at AmericanAirlines Arena (ESPNU, noon). Georgia Tech features former Christ the King star Jose Alvarado, who is coming off a 24-point outing in a loss to Northwestern in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Wednesday.

Jon Jones wants Brock Lesnar to give UFC fans what they want and meet him in the octagon for a star-studded showdown.

"Brock Lesnar is a massive man, a very scary dude," Jones told SNY this week. "I'm aware that the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Give the fans what they want, and in return I'll be a happy man as well. I am up for fighting Brock Lesnar as well. I really hope he decides to come back to the UFC so we can make that happen for all the fans."

While a bout between the two former UFC champions has yet to be confirmed, Jones will be the first one making a comeback. On Dec. 29, the 31-year-old will return to the cage in Las Vegas against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 232 following his 15-month suspension for a second failed drug test. 

St. John's guard Shamorie Ponds discusses how this year's 5-0 team is more mature, focused and like a family compared to last year's squad.

Daily News Live's Bob Raissman explains the drama at WFAN featuring Mike Francesa and others.

Former Jets QB and current WFAN host Boomer Esiason opened up about his former co-host Craig Carton's fraud conviction on Thursday morning.

"This is a cautionary tale of how your life can spiral out of control and affect so many around you, including your own family, the people that you work with and the people that you try to do business with on the outside," Esiason said. "Last night there was a moment that where I said, 'I can't believe it's finally come to an end.' He's destroyed a lot of people in his wake, and that's what a gambling addiction can do to you."

Carton, 49, was found guilty on Wednesday on three charges -- securities fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud -- for his role in a Ponzi scheme.

SNY's Jonas Schwartz and Bob Raissman of the Daily News discuss the news that former WFAN host Craig Carton was found guilty of fraud.

World Wrestling Entertainment, better known to the general public as WWE, frames itself as family-friendly entertainment -- a paradoxical label for a company that books predetermined fights.

Families, however, comprised a massive chunk of cheering fans at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. They were there to watch WWE Evolution, the first all-women's pay-per-view event in the company's history. Professional wrestling is typically the domain of young men and boys, perhaps because WWE performers are the closest thing that'll get to real-life comic book superheroes, right down to the costumes. 

But Sunday night, there was an unprecedented massive number of mothers and daughters, and fathers and daughters, who turned out to watch the main event between Nikki Bella, a former WWE world champion and reality TV star, and UFC Hall of Famer Ronda Rousey, the current Raw Women's champion. Before that, there was an undercard of seven other matches -- three-and-a-half hours of sports entertainment led by women. And for many of the families in attendance, that was the point and the appeal.

The Mid-Island Little League team from Staten Island has been eliminated from the tournament following a 7-3 loss to Peachtree City (GA).

Derek Mendez got the start for Mid-Island and hit cleanup. On the mound, Mendez pitched two innings and allowed four earned runs but at the plate he went 1-3 with an RBI.

There is a reason former NBA start Lamar Odom is considered a "walking miracle," and he revealed why in the latest of Kevin Hart's "Cold as Balls" web series. 

Normally, these interviews with Hart are funny given his comic nature. However, things got deep when Hart brought up Odom's darkest moment back on Oct. 13, 2015. The 2011 6th Man of the Year was found unconscious and bleeding from his nose at the Love Ranch brothel in Crystal, Nevada. 

Odom was rushed to a Las Vegas hospital, and said he was inches from death...

The Mid-Island Little League team from Staten Island suffered their first loss to Honolulu, 10-0, in the Little League World Series on Wednesday night.

Chris Bedford got the start for Mid-Island, who represents the Mid-Atlantic region at the LLWS. Though a couple runners were on, Bedford managed to roll a grounder to second baseman Gregory Bruno that looked to end the inning. However, a costly error would force home the first run of the game. 

Then, with bases loaded, Bedford hit a batter, sending home another run. Luckily, though, he would strike out another Honolulu hitter to end the inning. 

It was a pitcher's duel between Mid-Island Little League and Post Oak Little League from Houston, TX, but Mid-Island took a 2-1 win to stay undefeated in Williamsport. 

Gregory Bruno, who is Mid-Island's ace, tossed 5 1/3 innings of one-run ball to keep Houston's lineup at bay throughout the afternoon. Bruno also collected six strikeouts as well. 

Houston had their ace in Ryan Selvaggi on the mound as well, and he was dealing early on. In the bottom of the third, though, Mid-Island finally struck after getting back-to-back hits. Selvaggi, then, got a little wild, tossing two errant pitches that allowed a run to score. 

One of the best sporting events of the year kicks off in Williamsport, PA on Thursday as the Little League World Series begins. And the New York area will have a team to root for in the Mid-Island Little League team, who won the Mid-Atlantic Regional.

To get ready for their first game against the Midwest region at 3 p.m. today, here is a little background on how the Mid-Island All-Stars made it to this special tournament. 

Gregory Bruno tosses a perfect game

UFC 230 will take place at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, November 3.

The event will be available via pay per view.

The card and details for UFC 230 have not yet been announced, but it makes sense that an enormous star such as Conor McGregor would be there for a huge MSG event.

Hot dog eating contest eating champion Joey Chestnut wants you to know that a hot dog is not a sandwich.

"Hot dog is its own thing," Chestnut told SNY Tuesday on the eve of the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. "It doesn't need to be qualified as a sandwich. A hot dog is part of America and its own thing."

NEW YORK (AP) - Justify defied all the odds on his way to achieving Triple Crown immortality.

The late bloomer won the Belmont Stakes by 1¾ lengths on Saturday, giving the sport its 13th Triple Crown champion and second in four years.

Justify began his racing career on Feb. 18, a scant 77 days before the Kentucky Derby. He won his first three races by a combined 19 lengths, making trainer Bob Baffert a believer.

NEW YORK (AP) - Something Bob Baffert always dreads has come true ahead of the Belmont Stakes: Justify drew the No. 1 post for the colt's bid to sweep the Triple Crown.

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner was made the early 4-5 favorite in the 10-horse field for Saturday's race.

Baffert is not a fan of the inside post for his horses, no matter what the race.

SNY's Marc Malusis speaks with Hofburg's trainer Bill Mott to discuss their chances at upsetting betting-favorite Justify in the Belmont Stakes.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Malik Newman scored 28 points, Udoka Azubuike stood toe-to-toe with Seton Hall's bruising Angel Delgado, and No. 1 seed Kansas held off the plucky Pirates 83-79 on Saturday night to send the Jayhawks to their third consecutive Sweet 16.

WICHITA, Kan. -- For top-seeded Kansas, production at the point made up for the loss of a post in the paint in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

That tradeoff might be difficult to pull off Saturday, however, when the Jayhawks (28-7) face brawny Seton Hall (22-11) at Intrust Bank Arena.

Senior point guard Devonte' Graham was sensational in a first-round win over Penn, posting 29 points, six rebounds and six assists to wake up the slow-starting Jayhawks. The performance prompted Bill Self to stack up his point guard with past Kansas greats.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Kevin Willard was watching TV on the eve of Seton Hall's NCAA Tournament opener against North Carolina State when the self-described "Mr. Negativity" turned to his wife and asked what he would tell his core group of seniors if they lost.

Together they had resurrected a program fallen on hard times, yet success in March had been hard to achieve. Two straight years, the Pirates had been knocked out in the opening round.

"I said, `What am I going to say if they ask about their legacy?'" the Pirates coach recalled.

PITTSBURGH (AP) Marvin Bagley III dominated in his NCAA Tournament debut, pouring in 22 points to go with seven rebounds as Duke rolled by Iona 89-67 on Thursday.

The Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year made 10 of 14 shots in 32 minutes, grabbed seven rebounds and knocked down his lone 3-point attempt as the second-seeded Blue Devils overwhelmed the 15th-seeded Gaels.

Grayson Allen scored 16 points and added a game-high nine assists for Duke (27-7), Trevon Duval finished with 19 points and eight assists and Gary Trent Jr. had 16 points and six rebounds as the deeper, more talented Blue Devils withstood an early push from Iona (20-14) to win going away.

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) Travis Fields Jr. and Ed Polite Jr. each scored 13 points to lift Radford to its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, 71-61 over LIU Brooklyn in the First Four on Tuesday night.

Seton Hall, Iona and LIU-Brooklyn all qualified for the NCAA tournament and will play first-round games later this week.

Seton Hall is an 8-seed and will face No. 9 NC State in the Midwest Region on Thursday. The winner of that matchup will face the winner of No. 1 Kansas and No. 16 Penn in the second round on Saturday.

NEW YORK (AP) Sean O'Mara put an exclamation point on Xavier's runaway victory with a two-handed jam in the final seconds and Paul Scruggs cupped a hand to his right ear as the school band played the team off a winner.

The Musketeers never let up in the final minutes, crushing 3s and dunking with such ease that it ticked off a sore St. John's. The Red Storm's Ahmed Bashir popped off at Tyrique Jones in the handshake line and it quickly disintegrated into shoving and shouting. The scuffle was busted up by players and assistants from both teams as the crowd stood for a better view of the unexpected fracas.

St. John's coach Chris Mullin, a native New Yorker, simply said, "I didn't see anything."

NEW YORK (AP) Shamorie Ponds returned from an abdominal strain and scored 26 points and ninth-seeded St. John's took over in the second half to beat ninth-seeded Georgetown 88-77 in the first round of the Big East Tournament on Wednesday night.

Marvin Clark II scored 11 of his 16 points in the second half and the Red Storm (16-16) beat the Hoyas (15-15) in the first round for the second straight year. It also was St. John's first win over Georgetown in three games this season and its sixth win in nine games overall.

Justin Simon added 16 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals as the Red Storm advanced to a quarterfinal game against top-seeded Xavier on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. >> Read more

PHILADELPHIA (AP) St. John's took down another of the nation's elite, and stunned No. 1 Villanova 79-75 on Wednesday night for its second win over a top-five team this week - and first over the top-ranked team in 33 years.

Shamorie Ponds scored 26 points to spark the Red Storm (12-13, 1-11 Big East) to its first conference win of the season and easily their best week since Chris Mullin was in uniform, not the coach.

Mullin played for St. John's when it beat No. 1 Georgetown 66-65 on Jan. 26, 1985. And he was on the sideline exhorting his players in the final minutes of this shocker. >> Read more

NEW YORK (AP) That's two losses in three games for No. 4 Duke - and this one to a team that hadn't won since Christmas.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Standing at 6'9", Donatas Kupsas probably sticks out everywhere he goes. 

But the Island Long Lutheran center's performance stood out this afternoon as he helped to propel his team in the SNY Invitational championship as they defeated Cardinal Hayes Cardinals, 76-57.

NEW YORK, N.Y. - It was all Hudson Catholic all game and it started early. 

After falling to Cardinal Hayes last night, the Hawks cruised to an 83-64 routing over the Archbishop Molloy Stanners in the star-studded consolation game of the SNY Invitational. 

NEW YORK, N.Y. - For "AA" city champs, the Cardinal Hayes Cardinals feel they are always underdogs. 

When Archbishop Molloy coach Mike McCleary first heard about the field for the 2018 SNY Invitational, he knew his team was going to face a tough road.

"It's an incredibly difficult tournament," McCleary told SNY.tv. "When we first met, they hadn't done the matchups and they said to me, 'Who would you prefer playing?' I said, 'That's like asking, 'Do you want to die by lethal injection or firing squad?'

"There are very, very talented teams in this tournament. You'd be lucky to come out with a win, and certainly lucky to win the championship."