Creighton Bluejays at St. John's Red Storm

RJ Luis Jr. and No. 9 St. John's extend Big East lead with 79-73 win over No. 24 Creighton

The Red Storm (22-4, 13-2) lead the Bluejays (18-8, 11-4) by two games. A Creighton win would have given it the head-to-head tiebreaker over St. John’s, which is seeking its first regular-season title since 1986.

Luis made 6 of 17 shots in his eighth double-double this season. He sank six free throws in the final two minutes and made 10 of 13 overall to help St. John’s secure its 10th win in 11 games.

Kadary Richmond had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Red Storm. Zuby Ejiofor added 18 points and nine boards.

Steven Ashworth scored 23 points for Creighton, which dropped its second straight after winning nine in a row. Jamiya Neal added 19. Ryan Kalkbrenner was held to 12 points and appeared to have limited mobility in his right foot after getting helped to the locker room with 9:45 left.

Kalkbrenner was injured jostling for a rebound under the rim with Ejiofor and Luis. He returned with 3:47 remaining.

Takeaways Creighton: The Bluejays went 8 of 30 (26.7%) from 3-point range. In its loss to UConn, Creighton shot 29.2% (7 of 24) from 3.

St. John’s: Deivon Smith played 26 minutes and shot 4 of 9 after missing last week’s loss at Villanova with a neck injury. Smith was 8 for 34 in his previous four games after hurting his shoulder on Jan. 11.

Key moment After missing 11 straight shots, Creighton got within 61-59 on a tip-in by Neal with 6:37 left. But St. John's responded with a 3 by Aaron Scott and a jumper by Luis.

Key stat The Red Storm shot 58.6% (17 of 29) from the foul line.

Up next Creighton hosts Georgetown next Sunday. St. John’s visits DePaul on Wednesday.

How can I watch Creighton vs. St. John's?

• TV Channel: Creighton at St. John's 2021 College Basketball, week 15, is broadcasted on FS1.
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