On an emotional Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse in which tribute was paid to the late Andrew Smith, Butler’s 23rd-ranked Bulldogs moved past a clunky start to beat St. John’s 78-58 in Big East basketball.
Kellen Dunham scored 24 points and Kelan Martin 22 for Butler, which improved to 13-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big East.
It was the ninth consecutive defeat for St. John’s (7-12, 0-6). Federico Mussini scored 14 points for the Red Storm, who were limited to 34 percent shooting.
Dunham was 4-of-7 on 3-pointers and 10-of-11 on free throws. Martin scored 21 points in the closing 23 minutes, and he also grabbed 10 rebounds.