Brownlee leads St. John’s past Ball State in OT
Ball State player Tyrae Robinson looks for an opening to drive the ball toward the basket as St. John's Malik Stith defends him. (Nov. 25, 2010) Credit: AP
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Justin Brownlee scored 20 points and St. John’s rallied from a six-point deficit late in the second half before beating Ball State 78-73 in overtime Wednesday night in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout.
D.J. Kennedy added 15 points and Dwight Hardy had 14 for the Red Storm (2-1), who won their second consecutive game after dropping the season opener under new coach Steve Lavin. St. John’s squandered a 13-point lead in the second half and trailed 62-56 with 2:15 to go.
Brownlee shot 8 of 11 from the field and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. He scored the final two baskets in regulation, including a layup in the lane with 32.3 seconds left that tied it at 63. Ball State’s Randy Davis airballed a fadeaway jumper just before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Brownlee scored off the OT tip and Paris Horne, who had five of his 11 points in overtime, nailed a jumper. After a 3-pointer by Kennedy, Horne hit an acrobatic layup in transition to give St. John’s a 72-65 cushion with 57.9 seconds remaining.
Jesse Berry led the Cardinals (2-2) with 18 points. Davis had 14 points and nine assists.
Kennedy was 3 for 3 from 3-point range. St. John’s advanced to a semifinal matchup Friday with Drake, a 78-59 winner over Southern Utah.
