St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
11-3, 0-2BE
Butler
11-4, 1-1BE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Butler | 26 | 47 | 73 |
| St. John's (N.Y.) | 30 | 39 | 69 |
Butler Edges No. 15 St. John's, 73-69
1/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - D'Angelo Harrison matched a season-high with 31 points, but No. 15/17 St. John's came up short in a 73-69 setback against Butler before a sellout crowd of 5,602 at Carnesecca Arena. The Bulldogs shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the second half to snap the Red Storm's seven-game win streak in Queens this season.
Harrison finished 10-of-21 from the floor and made 9-of-11 free throws en route to his third-career 30-point game for St. John's (11-3, 0-2). Phil Greene IV added 14 points and Chris Obekpa totaled 11 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Sir'Dominic Pointer contributed nine points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocks and three steals as part of an all-around effort.
"I thought our team fought hard under tough circumstances. Butler executed well and [Kellen] Dunham had 28 points on six 3-pointers," said head coach Steve Lavin. "Now we have to get ready for Villanova. There is no time to wallow in self pity, you just have to get ready for the next game and try to get your mind set and calibrated to better move forward."
The Red Storm shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor, made 15-of-19 free throws (78.9 percent) and committed just seven turnovers, but finished -8 on the glass and received zero bench points.
Kellen Dunham made 6-of-7 3-pointers and scored a season-high 28 points, including a pivotal 3-pointer with just more than 2 minutes left to lead Butler (11-4, 1-1). Alex Barlow added 15 points and Roosevelt Jones had 14 to help the Bulldogs.
"This afternoon Dunham was outstanding as he didn't get rattled, picked his spots for dagger 3s and yet did not force the action. His judgments offensively were outstanding," Lavin added.
St. John's led by four at the break, but Butler opened the second half on a 12-5 run and quickly led 38-35 with 16:22 left in regulation. After a Dunham 3-pointer gave the Bulldogs a 53-46 advantage, the Red Storm used an Obekpa slam, a Jamal Branch steal and coast-to-coast layup, and a Harrison 3-pointer to close to within 57-55 with just 4:43 to go.
The Bulldogs were still clinging to a two-point lead when Dunham got free near the top of the key and drained a 3-pointer that made it 64-59 with 2:05 remaining. Butler then made 9-of-10 free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
The Red Storm made five of its first eight shots and jumped out to an early 11-4 lead at the 15:58 mark of the first half. Butler answered as Dunham drained a pair of 3s to key an 8-0 run that gave the Bulldogs a 12-11 advantage with 13:37 to go.
Butler went up by as many as five in the first half, but the Red Storm closed on an 11-2 run and took a 30-26 advantage into halftime.
St. John's returns to action on Jan. 6 at Madison Square Garden, hosting No. 6/5 Villanova for a 9 p.m. game on FOX Sports 1.
