Senior guard Dwight Hardy has netted a team-best 12 points, but the visiting St. John's Red Storm are tied with the Marquette Golden Eagles, 38-38, at halftime of a Big East Conference matchup. The game has been a back-and-forth battle that has featured over a dozen lead changes.
St. John's (15-9, 7-5) collected the contest's biggest advantage, 24-20, after senior forward Justin Brownlee nailed a 3-pointer with 9:40 to play in the half. Brownlee has added seven points, while teammate senior forward D.J. Kennedy has four points and seven rebounds.
Marquette (15-10, 6-6) is led by junior guard Jimmy Butler, who has a game-best 13 points. Teammate junior forward Jae Crowder has chipped in with nine points and five rebounds. The Golden Eagles leading scorer, junior forward Darius Johnson-Odam, has eight points.
The Red Storm finished the half 13-of-30 (43.3 percent) from the floor and 4-of-10 from the 3-point arc. Marquette shot 11-of-28 (39.3) on field goals and 2-of-10 from 3-point land. At the free-throw line, Marquette is 14-of-15 (93.3), while St. John's is 8-of-12 (66.7).