St John's vs Duke produced a tense Sweet 16 finish as Duke held off the Red Storm 80-75, advancing to the Elite Eight, according to ESPN.
Duke trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half before a late surge gave the Blue Devils control. Isaiah Evans led all scorers with 25 points and his long three with 3:54 left put Duke ahead for good, as reported by ESPN.
Caleb Foster, returning after three weeks sidelined with a broken foot, scored 11 points, all in the second half, and supplied key baskets in the final minutes, ESPN reported. Cameron Boozer also contributed inside and on the glass for Duke.
St. John's stayed competitive with hot outside shooting. The Red Storm connected repeatedly from deep, and Ruben Prey went 4-for-4 from long range, a performance noted in coverage of the game.
Game Details And Tournament Implications
Dylan Darling missed a potential game-tying three with 2.1 seconds remaining, sealing St. John's elimination, as reported by USA TODAY. The Johnnies made a deep tournament run before falling short in the Sweet 16.
USA TODAY noted a lopsided free throw disparity in the late stages, with Duke holding an 18-6 advantage at the line with under five minutes remaining. That differential helped the Blue Devils preserve their lead despite several late misses at the charity stripe.
Cameron Boozer finished with numbers highlighted by USA TODAY, and Duke will next face the winner of Connecticut or Michigan State in the East Regional semifinal bracket, according to ESPN. The victory keeps the top overall seed alive in the regional bracket.
St. John's received standout contributions from Zuby Ejiofor, who led the Red Storm with 17 points, and from Ruben Prey's perfect three-point shooting. Rick Pitino's squad forced runs and led for stretches, but could not overcome Duke's second-half adjustments and points in the paint, as noted in game reports.
