St. John's, Marquette get into scuffle during Red Storm's upset win

Jan. 2 (UPI) -- St. John's Red Storm guard Shamorie Ponds and Marquette Golden Eagles forward Theo John had to be separated after getting into a scrum during Tuesday's game.

In the replay, Ponds was being doubled near half court and took a foul from John after being bumped. John got close to Ponds and appeared to reach for the ball while trapping the Red Storm guard's arm following the foul.

Ponds shoved the Marquette forward off of him, leading to multiple players and coaches running over to stop the confrontation.

St. John's (13-1) posted an 89-69 upset victory over No. 16 Marquette (11-3) on Tuesday night.

Ponds led the way with 26 points (8-of-15 shooting), seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. He scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and drained 4-of-7 3-pointers.

"I'm just glad he played well," St. John's head coach Chris Mullin said about Ponds. "I thought he played a beautiful game. I just think for a kid like Shamorie two days ago feeling like he did and then coming back and leading his team, I think that's what college basketball is all about."

Marquette's John played 15 minutes during Tuesday's contest and finished with three points (0-for-3 shooting) and four rebounds.

St. John's plays Georgetown (10-3) on Saturday, while the Golden Eagles take on Xavier (9-5) this Sunday.