St. John’s blows chance at upset in crushing loss to Butler

It all happened in a blur. The comeback. The lead. Then the heartbreaking game-ending sequence.

A blowout loss went from a thrilling victory to a disheartening defeat. St. John’s went from down 23, to up five, to the short end of a 60-58 decision against No. 11 Butler at a stunned Carnesecca Arena in Queens on New Year’s Eve.

St. John’s had one last chance with 13.4 seconds left, but Rasheem Dunn lost control on a drive. The ball bounced around, winding up in LJ Figueroa’s hands, but his desperation heave was short, and St. John’s dropped its Big East opener for the second consecutive season.

As the team left the floor, the crowd gave it a fitting ovation for a stirring comeback that saw them rally without Mustapha Heron (ankle) and LJ Figueroa (foul trouble).

After a poor first half that saw it score 16 points, St. John’s came roaring back. A 23-point deficit got cut to three. It all started with Nick Rutherford. The graduate transfer from Monmouth began the half with all-out hustle, sending his body into the scorer’s table at one point to try to save a steal. It would spread.

A 39-16 deficit got cut to 46-43 after Rutherford’s steal and slam. Butler was having trouble even getting the ball to mid-court. When it did, it struggled getting off good shots. Shot-clock violations and desperation 3-pointers became the Bulldogs’ offense. St. John’s, meanwhile, was red hot, forcing the ball into the paint, turning turnovers into easy baskets. Rutherford’s slam capped a 21-2 run, almost all with Figueroa on the bench. It didn’t end there. Rutherford set up a David Caraher 3-point to pull them even, and then Marcellus Earlington scored inside to give the Johnnies their first lead since 2-0.

When Greg Williams Jr. hit a left-corner 3-pointer, pushing the lead to four, the building nearly collapsed. But Butler had the final run, scoring the game’s last seven points as St. John’s went scoreless over the final 3:08, missing all five field-goal attempts. Sean McDermott and Jordan Tucker each hit two free throws to cut the lead to one and then Christian David’s 3-pointer with 43 seconds left would provide the difference.

Rutherford led St. John’s with 15 points and six steals and Dunn added 12. Greg Williams Jr. notched 11 points and four assists. Kamar Baldwin scored 19 for Butler, which committed a season-high 24 turnovers.

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