Seton Hall might still end up returning to the NCAA Tournament, but the Pirates need to arch their necks if they want to find St. John’s in the standings.
Just three weeks after being dominated by their cross-river rival, the Red Storm had a surprisingly easy time switching roles Saturday, playing one of their best all-around games in a 78-70 win over Seton Hall at Madison Square Garden.
Led by Marcus LoVett’s 19 points, five rebounds and six assists, St. John’s (12-14, 6-7) moved into a tie for fifth place in the Big East, nearly one year after finishing with its worst-ever record in the league.
Seton Hall (15-9, 5-7) has lost six of its past nine games, putting its once-certain NCAA Tournament spot in further jeopardy after another offensive avalanche from Angel Delgado never surfaced.
After being embarrassed and emasculated by Delgado – who posted the Big East’s first 20-20 game in seven years against them three weeks ago – the Red Storm came out with far more energy and swarmed the Pirates big man with great success, forcing bad decision and/or indecision on possessions that were so simple three weeks ago. Delgado opened 1-of-6 from the field and was limited to three first-half points, with four turnovers. Khadeen Carrington provided little help in the backcourt, missing all seven shots.
Buoyed by the interior defense of Tariq Owens and Kassoum Yakwe, St. John’s registered seven blocks and held the Pirates under 29 percent shooting from the field in the first half, sparking a 16-3 run to end the half, giving the Red Storm a 37-27 lead.
St. John’s led by as many as 16 in the second half, with Owens (10 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks) and Bashir Ahmed (11 points, eight rebounds) making the Big East’s worst rebounding team look strong on the glass, preventing extra opportunities for Seton Hall’s struggling offense. Delgado finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the Pirates never threatened the Red Storm’s lead.
Amar Alibegovic added seven points, surpassing his total from his nine previous games combined, while the defense never relented, holding a 30-5 edge in points off turnovers. St. John’s committed only eight turnovers the entire game, while forcing 18.
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