LAS VEGAS — If Tuesday’s rousing rout of Baylor was a step in the right direction, then Wednesday was a major step back.
With a chance to head home on a winning note, St. John’s was sloppy, shaky defensively and blew an 11-point second half lead in a dismal 85-74 setback to No. 21 Auburn to close out the Players Era Festival.
A hobbled Dylan Darling logged an ineffective seven minutes as Tahaad Pettiford torched the 14th-ranked Johnnies for 24 points. St. John’s was led by Zuby Ejiofor’s 24 points, although he managed only seven after halftime.
The Red Storm were outscored by 20 points in the second half and by 17 over the final 9:53.
A day after combining for 48 points, Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers combined to shoot 3-of-17 from the field.
There was no defense, outside of a brief stretch late in the first half. Auburn piled up 44 points in the paint and shot 64 percent after halftime.
St. John’s (4-3) fell to 1-3 in power-conference games and has dropped six consecutive games against ranked opponents.
St. John’s started poorly, a reverse of Tuesday’s win over Baylor.
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They were sloppy, disorganized and lacking intensity on defense. The Johnnies had committed six turnovers by the under-12 timeout.
Auburn was slicing through the Red Storm defense with ease, scoring 20 of its first 23 points in the paint. Ejiofor, scoring on almost every touch inside, kept St. John’s close until it found its footing.
Over the final 5:26, sparked by reserve Sadiku Ibine Ayo’s energy, St. John’s held Auburn to three points.
They exploded on the other end, finishing the half on a 15-3 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point lead at the break.
Ejiofor enjoyed his best half of the trip, scoring 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
The bench, led by five points apiece from Ian Jackson and Ibine Ayo, was productive in more than doubling up Auburn’s reserves 15-7.
St. John’s pushed the lead out to 11 early in the second half, but then the defensive rebounding issues returned.
Two Auburn second chances led to a quick six points and the lead was soon down to a single possession. Auburn later reeled off six straight points to pull even at 61.
Ibine Ayo answered to give St. John’s the lead back entering the under-8:00 timeout.
[Notigroup Newsroom in collaboration with other media outlets, with information from the following sources]
