NEW YORK (AP) — Greg Williams Jr. made seven 3-pointers and scored a career-high 21 points as St. John’s slowed down No. 10 Creighton with a surprising 91-71 rout on Sunday.
Rasheem Dunn had 19 points, a career-high 10 assists and six rebounds for the Red Storm (15-14, 4-12 Big East), who stopped a three-game skid. LJ Figueroa added 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Julian Champagnie scored 13.
One of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the country, St. John’s went a season-best 14 of 22 from long range in its biggest victory under first-year coach Mike Anderson. It was the school’s first win over a top-10 team at Carnesecca Arena on campus since beating Bernard King and No. 7 Tennessee in December 1975.
Over the years, St. John’s plays many of its big-time games at Madison Square Garden.
Damien Jefferson equaled a career best with 20 points and Ty-Shon Alexander scored 19 for the Bluejays (22-7, 11-5), who had won five straight and nine of 10. Creighton could have captured its first Big East championship by winning its final three regular-season games, but now needs help after falling two games behind first-place Seton Hall with two to play.
St. John’s took over with a 14-0 run in the second half that included four 3-pointers, two by Williams. The sophomore guard, making his seventh start of the season, entered averaging 4.6 points per game. His previous career high was 11 points.
Creighton guard Marcus Zegarowski, the reigning Big East player of the week, was held to five points on 1-for-10 shooting.
Creighton entered ninth in the nation in 3-point shooting at 38.5%, with three players making 40% or better — all ranked in the top five in the Big East. But the Bluejays missed their first nine attempts from long range before Mitch Ballock connected with 2:41 left in the first half.
Zegarowski was 0 for 5 from the field and scoreless until hitting a 3 with 51 seconds remaining in the opening half. Zegarowski, averaging 16.1 points per game, matched a Big East record by going 7 for 7 from deep on the way to 25 points in a blowout win over Butler a week earlier.
BIG PICTURE
Creighton: The surprising Bluejays, picked seventh in the Big East preseason poll, had been playing about as well as anyone in the country since mid-January, so this dud was certainly unexpected. Still, they appear headed for a pretty high seed in the NCAA Tournament despite a starting lineup without a player taller than 6-foot-7. The program has never won more than one game in the NCAAs.
St. John’s: Since a Feb. 12 victory in Queens over surging Providence, it had been a struggle against top competition without second-leading scorer Mustapha Heron. The senior guard had surgery for a right ankle injury that has ended his college career. ... Ninth in the 10-team Big East, St. John’s won’t receive a bye in the conference tournament and will play on opening night March 11 at Madison Square Garden.
UP NEXT
Creighton: Host eighth-place Georgetown on Wednesday night before a Saturday showdown with No. 13 Seton Hall. The Bluejays lost 83-80 at Georgetown on Jan. 15.
St. John’s: Plays at Butler on Wednesday night before finishing the regular season at home Saturday against Markus Howard and Marquette at the Garden. St. John’s erased a 23-point deficit in the second half against then-No. 11 Butler on New Year’s Eve, only to cough up a late lead in a 60-58 loss.
___
More AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25