Providence tops St. John's in Big East opener

Dec 29, 2017, 02:32 am

NEW YORK -- Kyron Cartwright and Alpha Diallo both posted double-doubles and Providence caught fire in the second half to cruise to a 94-72 victory over St. John's on Thursday night in the Big East Conference opener for both teams.

Cartwright hit five 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 21 points and handed out a career-best 15 assists for the Friars (10-4), while Diallo contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rodney Bullock scored 20 on 8-of-11 shooting and Jalen Lindsey scored 18 on six 3-pointers as Providence handed the Red Storm (10-3) their first loss at home this season.

Marvin Clark II tossed in a career-high 20 points for St. John's, which trailed by a point at intermission before being outscored 53-32 in the second half. Shamorie Ponds added 16 points and six assists, while Bashir Ahmed scored 12.

Providence began to pull away five minutes into the second half when Cartwright buried three 3s in a 10-2 run to put the Friars up 62-53. Providence hit 11 of 16 (69 percent) from long range in the second half and finished 16 of 30 (53 percent). St. John's struggled from beyond the arc, making 7 of 28 (25 percent).