NEW YORK -- Federico Mussini scored 11 points and Christian Jones added 10 points to help St. John's beat Niagara 48-44 on Wednesday night in the 100th all-time meeting.
St. John's had a 38-26 lead early in the second half but went scoreless for seven-plus minutes. The Purple Eagles rallied to 43-37 with 3:39 remaining after Emile Blackman scored seven straight Niagara points.
Niagara twice pulled within three points with under two minutes to play, but Christian Jones made two free throws with 33 seconds left and Ron Mvouika hit 1 of 2 for a two-possession game with 13 seconds remaining.