St. John’s and Creighton began their respective Thanksgiving tournament weeks with Monday victories while Xavier lost in overtime.
Shamorie Ponds, the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, took over late in the Johnnies’ game against California, scoring 16 of his game-high 32 points in the final seven minutes of an 82-79 victory in the Legends Classic at Barclays Center. Ponds, a native of Brooklyn, registered his seventh 30-point game of his career. St. John’s, off to a 4-0 start for the second straight season, will meet VCU Tuesday night in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN2.