St. John’s guard Elijah Ingram withdrew from the university Wednesday, one week after he and five other teammates broke curfew to go to a strip club.
Ingram, a sophomore who led the team in scoring, left on the same day that the St. John’s judicial board suspended teammate Abe Keita from school for one year, the university announced.
Ingram and Keita already were permanently suspended from the team. Ingram’s decision spared him from appearing before the judicial board.
A third teammate, Grady Reynolds, was expelled from St. John’s last week. Two other players were suspended from the team but remained in school, while another player still faced unspecified lesser discipline.
Only eight players again were available for Wednesday night’s 86-52 loss at West Virginia.
The six other players got in trouble following a 71-51 loss to No. 4 Pittsburgh on Feb. 4. A 38-year-old woman told police she was gang raped by St. John’s players she met at a strip club outside the city.
No criminal charges were filed against the players and Sherri Ann Urbanek-Bach said she made up the story after the players refused to pay her $1,000 for sex, according to court documents. She was charged with prostitution, attempted extortion and filing fictitious reports.
Gonzalez recovering
Former Thornridge player Chris Gonzalez has been upgraded from critical to fair condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas.
Gonzalez has been hospitalized since Monday after an 18-wheel truck crashed into the van carrying members of the Navarro Junior College team, killing two of Gonzalez’s teammates and injuring five players and two coaches.
A hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday that Gonzalez was “doing much better.”
RESULTS, WEDNESDAY’S SYNOPSIS
Virginia 75 at #1 Duke 93
J.J. Redick scored 25 points and Shelden Williams had 19 points and 12 rebounds to lift Blue Devils (21-1, 10-0 ACC) to 18th straight win and 39th straight at home.
Dayton 67 at #3 St. Joseph’s 81
Delonte West had 24 points and Jameer Nelson added 16 points and 7 assists to help Hawks end 3-game losing streak to Flyers (19-4, 9-1) in extending school-record win streak.
#6 Mississippi St. 79 at #25 S. Carolina 75
Timmy Bowers hit late 3-pointer to force OT and Branden Vincent’s FT with :53 left in extra session gave Bulldogs (20-1, 9-1 SEC) lead for good over Gamecocks (19-5, 6-4).
South Florida 67 at #13 Cincinnati 80
Tony Bobbitt scored season-high 26 points and Bearcats overcame lackluster offensive performance. Bobbitt went 8 of 11 on 3-point attempts, including 2 in late 12-point run.
#18 Texas Tech 48 at Oklahoma 63
Lawrence McKenzie scored 15 points and Sooners (15-5, 5-4) bounced back from lowest scoring output in nearly 50 years of 37 points with Big 12 win over Red Raiders (17-6, 5-4).
#24 Providence 100 at Villanova 74
Donnie McGrath scored 20 of his 23 points in 2nd half and Ryan Gomes also had 23 as Friars (16-5, 7-3 Big East) handed Wildcats (13-9, 5-4) worst loss of season.
Northern Illinois 69 at Toledo 61
Keith Triplett scored 11 of his 15 points during 25-0 run in 2nd half to lead Rockets over Huskies, who led 44-27 after Perry Smith hit 3-pointer with 16:42 remaining.
Bradley 56 at Creighton 74
Kellen Miliner scored 22 points and Brody Deren added 16 as Bluejays defeated Braves in MVC game. James Gillingham led Bradley with 12 points.
Illinois State 48 at Evansville 79
Clint Cuffle scored 14 of his 21 points in decisive 1st half as Purple Aces took 38-19 halftime lead in MVC game. Najee Echols led Redbirds with 16 points.
