St. John's runs out of gas in second half of loss to Xavier

CINCINNATI  — Naji Marshall scored 20 points, freshman KyKy Tandy made four three-pointers in his best performance, and Xavier pulled away in the second half of a 75-67 victory over St. John’s on Sunday.

The Musketeers (12-3, 1-1 Big East) broke open a close game by finally hitting some long-range shots. Tandy hit three in a row and finished with a career-high 12 points.

Tyrique Jones had his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

St. John’s (11-4, 0-2) struggled to make shots despite getting its leading scorer back. Senior guard Mustapha Heron missed the last three games with a sprained right ankle. Heron had 11 points in 22 minutes.

The Red Storm shot only 35% from the field and 1-for-16 from beyond the arc. LJ Figueroa led the team with 17 points.

St. John’s got the better of it early with its pressure defense, which forced four turnovers during an 11-0 run.

Marshall hit a pair of threes that got Xavier going, and Jones had a pair of baskets that put the Musketeers ahead 19-18. There were six lead changes in the first half, which ended with the Musketeers leading 34-32 despite 13 turnovers.

Both teams struggled with poor shooting in the first half. The Red Storm missed all nine shots from beyond the arc, while Xavier was only 4-for-11 on free throws.

Tandy broke it open with three consecutive threes as Xavier pulled ahead 59-49 midway through the second half and was in control the rest of the way. Tandy was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc overall.

St. John’s went 1-2 during a stretch of three straight games against ranked teams. They beat No. 16 Arizona, 70-67, at San Francisco on Dec. 21 and lost at home to No. 11 Butler, 60-58, on Tuesday, overcoming a 23-point deficit in the second half to take a late lead before letting it slip away.

The Red Storm next plays at Georgetown on Wednesday.