Despite a hard fought game, St. John’s had too much going against them in their 82-77 loss to Xavier. From foul trouble to rebounding, the Red Storm were lucky to be within reach for most of the game.
Coming into the game, St. John’s knew they would have their hands full dealing with the height of Xavier. This was especially a concern with Xavier’s backcourt and it showed in the first possession of the game as Edmond Sumner backed Marcus LoVett down for a hook shot.
Xavier won the battle of the backcourts as St.