NEW YORK -- Marcus LoVett scored 19 points, Shamorie Ponds added 17 and Tariq Owens had a double-double to lead St. John's to a 78-70 win over Seton Hall on Saturday.
Owens had 12 rebounds and 10 points, plus four blocks, for the Red Storm (12-14, 6-7 Big East). Bashir Ahmed added 11 points for St. John's, which closed the first half of a 16-3 run to open a 37-27 lead.
The Pirates (15-9, 5-7), whose last two games were overtime victories, scored six straight early in the second half to get within six but got no closer as the Red Storm had an 11-2 run to go up 52-37 with 13:20 to play.