On a day when St. John’s needed its best performance, it fell short.
Not on the defensive side. Not at the free throw line.
It’s certainly not a contest.
The game entered the second half, with first-place Connecticut outscoring St. John’s.
Notable forward Alex Karaban (ankle) was absent, and center Donovan Clingan was out with foul trouble, but that didn’t matter.
The Huskies dominated the Johnnies after halftime, winning 77-64 in front of a packed Garden.
St. John’s has now lost five of its last six games, failing to come up with a big win and its chances for victory are diminishing.
Connecticut, despite its high ranking, played like a more desperate team.
They outrebounded St. John’s by 15 points and held the Johnnies without a 3-point shot after halftime.
The dynamic trio of Cam Spencer, Tristen Newton and Stephon Castle combined for 59 points.
For St. John’s, center Joel Soriano had only six points and four rebounds.
Danis Jenkins scored 19 points, but had only six points after halftime.
The Red Storm’s 3-point shooting (28.6 percent) and free throw shooting (66.7 percent) remained poor.
The first half was an even match.
Connecticut got off to a quick start and jumped out to a 14-5 lead.
St. John’s fought back with a 22-8 overtime burst.
At intermission, the game was down by one point, and it was a showdown to decide whether to take it or not.
Jenkins was the best player on the floor, making three 3-pointers and scoring 13 points in the first 20 minutes.
However, the Johnnies were minus-5 points on the glass and outscored by six points in the paint.
Alleyne provided momentum in the second half with two long jumpers and entered the break with a close lead.
Connecticut began to take control midway through the first half, going on an 8-0 run, and the voices of Huskies fans in the crowd began to be heard.
Chris Ledlum picked up his fourth foul, cutting the lead to seven with 12:04 remaining.
St. John’s coach Rick Pitino turned back to Soriano, and he responded with a much-needed three-point play.
It almost didn’t generate enough momentum.
UConn quickly extended its lead to double digits and never looked back.
