It was a beatdown on the glass (50-30) and in the paint (54-30) as St. John’s improved to 4-1 in league play for the second straight season.
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It felt similar to the loss to Creighton, when St. John’s blew most of an 11-point, first-half lead by halftime and fell a point short.
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Defense, though, is where the Johnnies won this game.
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CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST. JOHN’S STATS
CINCINNATI — Rick Pitino has compared St. John’s to a football team that runs the ball, plays terrific defense and hits a big pass once in a while.
It was also hurt in transition, outscored 14-2 by Xavier.
RJ Luis and Zuby Ejiofor combined for 36 points and 22 rebounds, and Simeon Wilcher tallied 15.
But unlike in the Creighton game, St. John’s came out for the second half focused, determined and dynamic on defense.