NEW YORK (AP) — Jack Nunge had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and No. 22 Xavier won its seventh straight game by holding off St. John’s 84-79 on Wednesday night.
The high-scoring Musketeers (11-3, 3-0 Big East) built an 18-point cushion midway through the second half before turning back a late comeback attempt, setting up a showdown against No. 2 UConn at home Saturday. Souley Boum had 17 points, six assists and six rebounds, and Zach Freemantle added 14 points and nine boards.
David Jones had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Storm (11-3, 1-2), who lost for the first time in nine games this season at Carnesecca Arena on campus.
Joel Soriano, who leads the nation with 11 double-doubles, added 14 points and eight rebounds. Montez Mathis also scored 14 for St. John’s, which won the previous three meetings with Xavier after dropping 12 in a row.
St. John’s twice trimmed the deficit to six late in the second half and then to five on a 3-pointer by Jones with 26 seconds left. After a Xavier turnover, the Red Storm had a chance to make it interesting at the end, but Jones and Posh Alexander missed 3s before the buzzer.
After moving into the AP Top 25 this week for the first time this season, Xavier consistently beat St. John’s to loose balls in a fast-paced game. The Musketeers went on a 16-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer from Boum, to open a 27-12 lead 7:01 into the game and went into halftime ahead 48-37.
BIG PICTURE
Xavier: After winning the NIT last season, the experienced Musketeers have opened 3-0 in Big East play for the fourth time. All three nonconference losses came during a four-game span in November against ranked teams that were in the top 12 at the time: Indiana, Duke and Gonzaga.
St. John’s: After going 10-1 against a fairly soft nonconference schedule, the Red Storm have dropped consecutive Big East games to Villanova and Xavier. There might not be a ton of opportunities for signature wins against ranked Big East opponents this season that would catch the attention of the NCAA Tournament selection committee, so St. John’s would do well to take better advantage of the ones that remain — especially at home.
UNAVAILABLE
St. John’s reserve Rafael Pinzon did not suit up because of illness. The sophomore guard is averaging 6.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. He is 7 for 15 from 3-point range in his past five games.
UP NEXT
Xavier: A challenging stretch in the schedule that should provide a good measuring stick for a team that looks like a Big East contender. After hosting the undefeated Huskies (14-0), the Musketeers play at Villanova on Jan. 7 followed by home games against Creighton and Marquette.
St. John’s: Plays at Hudson River rival Seton Hall (7-7, 0-3) on Saturday afternoon.
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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25