January 3, 2001

JAMAICA, N.Y. - St. John's defeated Virginia Tech, 89-64, in BIG EAST Conference basketball action Wednesday night at Alumni Hall. The contest was the Hokies' first game in BIG EAST competition.

The Red Storm took a 47-26 lead into halftime and never trailed in the game. Carlton Carter scored Tech's first BIG EAST points on a three-pointer with 16:15 remaining in the first period.

Joe Hamilton and Danny Gathings led the Hokies with 13 points each. Carter added 12 points in the loss. Omar Cook led all scorers with 23 points for the Red Storm.

Tech, now 6-6 overall and 0-1 in BIG EAST play, outrebounded St. John's, 31-22, but the Red Storm shot a season-high 66% from the floor. Tech shot 47.1% from the field, including 54.5% in the second half. St. John's is now 7-5 overall and 1-0 in league action.

Virginia Tech returns to Cassell Coliseum on Saturday, as they host Villanova at 2 p.m. in a nationally televised game on ESPN. It will be Tech's first BIG EAST home game.