NEW YORK -- Marcus LoVett had 23 points, hitting five from long range, and Marvin Clark II added 15 points as St. John's defeated New Orleans 77-61 in the season opener on Friday night.

Shamorie Ponds added 12 points while grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out six assists for St. John's. Bashir Ahmed chipped in 10 points.

The Red Storm nailed 12 of 30 from beyond the arc while limiting New Orleans to just 4 of 14 from distance. St. John's also made 25 of 56 from the floor and hit 15 of 19 free throw attempts.

Travin Thibodeaux led the Privateers with 18 points and seven rebounds. Jorge Rosa added 10 points with six boards.

Clark hit a trey and LoVett made two free throws to give the Red Storm a 35-28 advantage late in the first half as St. John's took a 37-28 lead into the break.