Joel Smith scored 29 points, including knocking down 7 of 12 from beyond the arc, to lead Northeastern in a 78-64 win over St. John’s on Saturday.
The Red Storm were again without head coach Steve Lavin, who missed his second straight game due to his recovery from prostate surgery.
The Huskies hit 9 of 18 (50 percent) from long range compared to just a 2 of 16 (12.5 percent) performance by the Red Storm.
Jonathan Lee added 17 points for Northeastern (3-1), while Kauri Black had 12 and Kashief Edwards chipped in 11.
Smith knocked down a 3-pointer just 27 seconds in for the game’s first points, setting a tone for the Huskies. They led by two points at the break, but St. John’s fought back to claim a 43-42 lead with 13:41 left to play.
But another big 3 by Smith pulled Northeastern back ahead, 45-43, and his next 3-pointer capped an 8-0 run. Northeastern led the rest of the way.
God’sgift Achiuwa led St. John’s (4-3) with 17 points.