Star guard Ponds out with back injury for No. 24 St. John’s

NEW YORK (AP) — Star guard Shamorie Ponds is sitting out for No. 24 St. John’s against DePaul because of a lower back strain.
Ponds, the Big East preseason player of the year, ranks third in the league in scoring at 20.6 points per game. He is first in assists (6.0) and steals (2.7), and was one of 25 players in the country selected to the midseason watch list for the Wooden Award this week.
Bryan Trimble Jr. was set to start in Ponds’ place Saturday night at Carnesecca Arena.