St. John’s Falls to No. 1/1 UConn on Saturday

Saturday, February 3

New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

13-9,5-6Big East

No. 1/1 UConn

20-2,10-1Big East

UConn

St. John's (NY)

2/3/2024 3:43:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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Daniss Jenkins led the Red Storm with 19 points, six assists and three steals inside a sold-out Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK – A 19-point effort from Daniss Jenkins was not enough as the St. John's men's basketball team (13-9, 5-6) dropped a 77-64 decision to No. 1/1 UConn (20-2, 10-1) in front of a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd of 19,812 on Saturday.

Jenkins led the Red Storm in scoring for the eighth time this season, shooting 5-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the line. The Red Storm's point guard also dished out six assists and recorded three steals in 36 minutes of work.

Sophomore RJ Luis Jr. chipped in 11 points off the bench while Red Storm teammate Chris Ledlum rounded out those in double figures with 10 points of his own.

The Red Storm erased an early nine-point deficit with a 14-2 run over a three-minute stretch midway through the first half. Jenkins scored 11 of his 19 points in the first eight minutes, as the Dallas native knocked down his first four shots, including three from beyond the arc to give the Johnnies a 17-16 lead at 12:27.

St. John's eventually opened a five-point advantage, 27-22, on a Luis' jumper with under six minutes to play in the first half. The Huskies and Red Storm traded the lead five more times before Nahiem Alleyne's bucket with 29 seconds on the clock gave St. John's a 37-36 advantage at the break.

It remained a one-possession game through the opening seven minutes of the second half. A Jenkins steal and outlet pass to Ledlum for a fastbreak dunk put the Red Storm ahead 46-45 at 13:16, but that proved to be St. John's last lead of the game.

The Huskies responded with the next eight points and saw its lead grow as large as 15 down the stretch. Cam Spencer scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half and shot 5-for-7 from 3-point territory.

Connecticut capitalized at the free-throw line with Spencer, Stephon Castle and Tristen Newton going 15-for-16 from the line in the second half. Castle finished with 21 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the field. Newton chipped in 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies. UConn shot 90.9 percent (20-22 FT) from the free-throw line on the afternoon.

The Johnnies continue their two-game homestand on Tuesday versus DePaul at UBS Arena. FS1 will carry the national broadcast with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. The first 4,000 fans will receive this year's edition of St. John's Legends Series Bobblehead courtesy of Coca-Cola, which features Red Storm Hall of Fame Coach Rick Pitino.