St. John's beats No. 11 Marquette for ninth straight win and first vs. ranked team

This had the look of a very telling game. Really, just how good was St. John’s? There’s good, and then there’s really good.

The win streak was growing to impressive proportions. The overall record was glittering. The ranking was rising. But how would the Red Storm do at this point matched up against a Top 15 team? They owned no wins over ranked schools.

It was hard to remember the last time St. John’s was ranked among the Top 15 and the opponent was as well for a regular-season game. It was actually 26 years ago, Jan. 30, 1999, and it didn’t end well that time against a No. 1 Connecticut team that was on its way to a national championship.

Now it was No. 12 St. John’s vs. No. 11 Marquette Tuesday night in front of a loud crowd of 16,521 at the Garden.

The Red Storm often couldn’t shoot straight from the line, making it closer than it should have been. But they found touch when it mattered the most and crushed Marquette on the boards. And this time it ended well for them. They passed this sweaty, big-game test, winning 70-64 — their ninth straight victory.

“I’ve been proud of a lot of teams, but I’m so proud of this team,” coach Rick Pitino said. “They are just so refreshing with the way that they play, how hard they play. They deserve all the credit in the world. They beat a really good team, a well-coached team tonight.”

They have beaten 15 of the last 16 teams on the schedule, and the one loss came by one at Creighton. St. John’s is 11-1 in the Big East, its best conference start since the 1984-85 season when it was bound for the Final Four.

This was victory No. 20 overall. The Red Storm are up to 20-3, and they’re up to 15-0 at home, including 6-0 at MSG.

This was their first regular-season win in a Top 15 matchup since January 1991. Kadary Richmond did a lot to make it happen. The transfer grad guard continued to channel his old Seton Hall self, contributing 18 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.

RJ Luis Jr. added 17 points, 11 rebounds and four steals. Zuby Ejiofor also posted a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.

And St. John’s survived despite going 17-for-31 at the line, especially because it went 7-for-8 in the final 4:10. A 50-28 rebounding advantage, including 21-5 on the offensive glass, also went a very long way.

“The way they fought on the glass was a difference maker,” Golden Eagles coach Shaka Smart said after his team fell to 18-5 overall and 9-3 in the Big East.

Chase Ross, who paced Marquette with 16 points, tied it at 57 by sinking two free throws with 4:30 left. Then Ejiofor managed to hit two free throws with 4:10 left. Then Deivon Smith made one of two for a three-point St. John’s lead.

After Ross made both ends of a one-and-one to cut it to one, Luis nailed two at the line for a 62-59 advantage. Ejiofor sank two more at the line for a 64-59 lead with 2:04 to go. Aaron Scott followed with a dunk to extend the margin to seven. It never got closer than six from there.

“You know, we put in a lot of hard work in the preseason and you [media] guys can see it now,” Luis said. “We’re a very hungry group and we’re very determined to win.”

Trailing by one at the break, the Red Storm came out of the locker room and went on an 8-0 run, good for a 38-31 lead. Luis made two steals during the burst. Smart had to call for time.

The lead quickly shrunk to two, then rose to seven after a Richmond jumper and a three-point play by Ejiofor.

Marquette wasn’t about to go away quietly and eventually went up 55-54. But inside the final 4  1⁄2 minutes, it managed just seven points.

“This is a relentless defensive team,” Pitino said.

Next up? Another big test. St. John’s will face the No. 19 Connecticut Huskies, the two-time defending national champs, Friday night at Gampel Pavilion.

Near the end of this night, some fans were chanting three words: “We want UConn!”

“Seeing the Garden, the way the Garden is, is so much fun,” Pitino said. “Seeing St. John’s come back is so much fun. I’m having a blast coaching these guys.”