It was the same script, but a different stage for St. John’s as another solid effort finished with a deflating loss for the Johnnies at Xavier. The Red Storm fell, 88-82 to the Xavier Musketeers.
Now 10-9 with an 0-7 record in Big East play, the Red Storm were undone by a seven-minute scoreless stretch in the second half where the Musketeers scored 15 points (to nothing for the visiting Johnnies).
Xavier is a tough team, but the shots missed, while tough, included some of the crafty layups Ponds shoots almost every game. There were other issues, to be sure - the second half saw the Musketeers dominate their own paint, and the threes rained in from the Cincinnati riverfront.