John’s came out in the first half showing intensity that frustrated the Butler offense forcing Butler into eight first half turnovers. Going into the half, Ahmed lead the Red Storm with 11 points off of 4-8 from the field and 3-3 from three. John’s in the second half, going stretches without points. Late in the second OT, after Clark blocked a shot, he finished at the other end to tie the game back up at 68. Simon stole the ball, and headed to the line to seal the win.

Justin Simon scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for St. The conference’s leading scorer needed 24 in the rematch with the Bulldogs Wednesday night at Carnesecca Arena to break coach Chris Mullin’s sophomore scoring record at the school that has stood for 35 years. The news flash came about an hour before the tipoff that the he was out with an abdominal strain. Justin Simon scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for St. Out of a timeout, Clark swished a right-side three, and it was down to two with 11 seconds on the clock.

Butler closes the regular season Saturday at Seton Hall, then returns to New York next week for the Big East tournament. Reality: If the Bulldogs make it to the tournament, they won’t get to play in Hinkle. John’s forward Marvin Clark II unguarded at the arc in transition, and his 3-pointer trimmed it to 58-56 with 11 seconds on the clock. John’s finished on a 9-0 run, continuing a late-season surge after starting 0-11 in the Big East. John’s at the end of regulation or second OT.

Without the Big East’s leading-scorer — whose status for Saturday’s regular-season finale at Providence is uncertain — St. Without the player St. For that group there, it was really important.” Though Butler (19-11, 9-8) uncharacteristically struggled shooting and hit just 35 percent from the field, its domination of the offensive glass and the play of Paul Jorgensen (17 points) allowed them to recover from a 12-point second-half deficit and take a five-point lead with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. Simon nearly delivered one of greatest endings the Queens crowd had ever seen, but his jumper at the buzzer bounced twice on the rim before drifting wide. Still, the redshirt sophomore was able to seal the game, scoring five straight points in the final minute of double overtime, beginning with his tie-breaking finger-roll with 46 seconds left.

John's Red Storm celebrates his team's lead in double overtime against the Butler Bulldogs during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Feb. John's Red Storm celebrates his teams lead in double overtime against the Butler Bulldogs during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Feb. John's Red Storm is defended by Aaron Thompson of the Butler Bulldogs during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Feb. John's Red Storm attempts a jump shot against the Butler Bulldogs during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Feb 28, 2018. John's Red Storm attempts a shot past Paul Jorgensen #5 of the Butler Bulldogs during an NCAA men's basketball game at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday, Feb 28, 2018.

John’s defeated Butler 75-68 in double overtime on Wednesday night. John’s (15-15, 4-13 Big East) with 24 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and five assists. John’s reeled off four straight and now has won five of its last seven. 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament last season, advancing to the Elite Eight, has lost four of six. John’s into ninth place in the Big East and is the first overtime (and double overtime) win since March 8, 2014.

Butler is still over .500 in the Big East, but this was a very troubling loss. The Bulldogs got outplayed in almost every facet of the game in the opening 20 minutes. If the Bulldogs are going to put together a run in the Big East Tournament or NCAA Tournament, they need to play 40 minutes of good basketball every time they take the court. Butler has Jorgensen to thank for getting this game into overtime. They should still be in the Big Dance, but a loss to the Pirates and a defeat in their first Big East Tournament game will leave Bulldog fans holding their breath on selection Sunday.

The two teams, who are headed in opposite directions at the moment, face off Wednesday in New York in what will be something of a homecoming for Butler guard Paul Jorgensen. Butler is caught in the middle of a wild battle in the middle of the Big East conference. Furthermore, Butler, who has probably played itself into a guaranteed NCAA Tournament bid, will be looking to build its resume and earn a higher seed in the Big Dance. Butler is the better team here. Butler has had (by my humble estimate) two games during the conference season where it largely beat itself (at Providence and vs.

John's defeated Butler 72-68 in double overtime on Wednesday night. John's (15-15, 4-13 Big East) with 24 points, 10 rebounds, four steals and five assists. John's reeled off four straight and now has won five of its last seven. 4 seed to the NCAA Tournament last season, advancing to the Elite Eight, has lost four of six. John's into ninth place in the Big East and is the first overtime (and double overtime) win since March 8, 2014.

Justin Simon made a layup and three free throws in a 23-second stretch in the final minute of double overtime and Marvin Clark added two free throws with 14 seconds left to lift the St. John’s trailed for much of the final 10 minutes of regulation but tied the game at 58 on a Simon layup with four seconds left in the second half. Simon finished with 24 points, Bashir Ahmed added 22 and Clark had 20 to lead the Red Storm (15-15, 4-13 Big East) to just their fourth conference win. Paul Jorgensen had 17 points off the bench and Kelan Martin had 17 to lead the Bulldogs, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. John’s concludes its regular season on Saturday with a noon showdown at Providence.