To St. John’s coach Steve Lavin, the Red Storm’s up-and-down victory over DePaul yesterday was characteristic of its season.
The young St. John’s team built a 17-point lead, only to see the Blue Demons cut it to three with 2:24 remaining. The Red Storm hit six free throws in the final two minutes to seal the 71-62 victory.
Jamal Branch scored a career-high 18 points to lead four players in double figures for St. John’s (11-7, 3-3 Big East).
Notre Dame 69, Rutgers 66
In South Bend, Ind., Jack Cooley had 19 points, 10 rebounds and blocked a shot with 2 seconds left to help No. 20 Notre Dame (15-3, 3-2 Big East) hang on to beat Rutgers (14-4, 3-3).
Eli Carter, who led the Scarlet Knights with 20 points, capped a 6-1 run that got Rutgers within one, 67-66, with seven seconds left. He forced a held ball on Eric Atkins two seconds later and drove inside for a layup attempt, but Cooley blocked his shot.
Pitt 69, Connecticut 61
In Pittsburgh, Lamar Patterson scored 14 points, Tray Woodall added 13 points and six assists and Pittsburgh (15-4, 3-3 Big East) withstood a late rally by Connecticut (12-5, 2-3), led by Ryan Boatright’s 20 points.
Columbia 67, Cornell 58
In Ithaca, Mark Cisco scored 18 points, and Brian Barbour had 16 points to lead Columbia (9-6, 1-0 Ivy League) over Cornell (8-10, 0-1) for the Lions’ fourth win in five games.
LIU Brooklyn 75, Monmouth 65
In Brooklyn, C.J. Garner scored 16 points to help LIU Brooklyn (8-10, 3-3 NEC) turn a halftime deficit into a win over Monmouth (7-12, 2-4).
St. Francis 70, FDU 51
In Brooklyn, Travis Nichols scored a game-high 15 points and the Terriers (8-9, 4-2 NEC) dominated both halves in defeating Fairleigh Dickinson (7-12, 2-4).
Niagara 64, Manhattan 40
In Niagara, Antoine Mason made 13 of 16 free throws and finished with 15 points for Niagara (11-8, 7-1 MAAC), which beat Manhattan (5-13, 3-5).
Bryant 82, Wagner 59
In Smithfield, R.I., Dyami Starks led five players in double figures with 17 points as Bryant (13-4, 6-0 NEC) blasted Wagner (9-8, 3-3).
George Mason 57, Hofstra 46
In Fairfax, Va., Sherrod Wright scored 21 points to lead George Mason (11-7, 4-2 CAA) over Hofstra (5-13, 2-3).