It had the all makings of a successful trip to Las Vegas after the St. John’s basketball team defeated Baylor on Tuesday night and opened an 11-point advantage in the second half over No. 21 Auburn on Wednesday.
Then, the wheels started to loosen and eventually fell off in an 85-74 crushing loss.
A Joson Sanon 3-pointer with 10:36 remaining put the Red Storm (4-3) up by six, 59-53. He was fouled on the play but missed the momentum building free throw.
Then, the Tigers were shot out of a rocket offensively, led by sophomore guard Tahaad Pettiford, making eight straight field goals and finishing the game by making nine of its final eleven attempts.