This looked like the day that St. John’s would upend their five year drought against the Xavier Musketeers. But a 17-1 run deflated the Red Storm upset bid and the Johnnies lost, 69-61, in Cincinnati.
The Red Storm fall to 6-5, 1-4 in the Big East. Xavier improves to 9-2, 2-2 in the league.
The first half was a highlight for defense and effort, as St. John’s held Xavier scoreless from beyond the arc and 36% inside the arc — with nine turnovers. For stretches, the Red Storm looked potent on the fast break, but struggled to generate fast break opportunities, or convert turnovers into scoring.