INDIANAPOLIS — With its back against the wall, as Rick Pitino alluded to three days ago, St. John’s came out swinging.
The Red Storm showed grit. They played together. They answered Butler runs, and they crushed the Bulldogs after halftime, cruising to a much-needed 84-70 victory at Hinkle Fieldhouse and their second Quad 1 win of the season.
Bryce Hopkins (17 points, 15 in the second half), enjoyed his best offensive game in weeks, Ruben Prey was terrific on both ends off the bench, and St. John’s defended after halftime as well as it has all year. This certainly didn’t look like the group that lost at home to Providence on Saturday.
Pitino went to a two big-man lineup of Prey and Zuby Ejiofor (18 points, five rebounds) and it sparked St. John’s late in the first half.
Prey (10 points, two steals, one block) helped limit Butler star Michael Ajayi to 14 points. After halftime, St. John’s forced the Bulldogs into 13 turnovers — they committed a season-high 21 — and held them to 28 points.
It wasn’t the start St. John’s hoped for.
The Johnnies missed their first five shots and Hopkins picked up two quick fouls, ending his first half early.
Jackson was also in foul trouble and registered only six minutes in the first half.
Butler controlled play, but it was even at the break, thanks to a combined 16 points from reserves Prey and Lefteris Liotopoulos.
Prey beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer at the end of the period.
Ejiofor was his typical dominant self, notching 14 points, five rebounds and two steals in the second half.
Butler’s two stars, Finley Bizjack and Ajayi, had their way on the offensive end, shooting 7-for-11.
CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS AND ST. JOHN’S STATS
The Bulldogs shot 54 percent from the field and also went to the free-throw line 14 times, making 11 of them. St. John’s closed the half on a 14-7 run after trailing by as many as seven.
Hopkins hit his first shot of the second half, a right-wing 3-pointer, and proceeded to score nine over the first 5:36 of the period.
By that time, St. John’s had built a five-point lead.
It grew to 14 after a Mitchell steal and layup. Butler called timeout, but with only 7:16 left, St. John’s was on its way to a key victory.
