• Recap
• Bleachers

Hardy, No. 23 St. John's rout DePaul

Feb 24, 2011 - 5:27 AM Queens, NY (Sports Network) - Dwight Hardy finished with 21 points, leading 23rd-ranked St. John's in a 76-51 rout of DePaul at Carnesecca Arena.

Paris Horne scored 14 points for St. John's (18-9, 10-5 Big East), which is back in the national rankings for the first time in 11 years. The resurgent Red Storm joined the poll this week for the first time since November 2000.

D.J. Kennedy had 11 points and 10 rebounds in the victory, the fifth in a row for St. John's.

"Tonight's victory is an example of a team developing a hard edge and maturity that will bode well for us coming down the home stretch and into the postseason," said St. John's head coach Steve Lavin.

Cleveland Melvin scored 16 points to lead the Blue Demons (7-20, 1-14), who have dropped two in a row since beating Providence. DePaul head coach Oliver Purnell said his team did not play well, but added that the Red Storm's 2-3 zone defense played a big part in that.

"That's probably the best zone that we've seen all year long, and they are playing with a lot of confidence," Purnell said.

The Red Storm used a 9-0 run, which Hardy bookended with layups, to take a 15-7 lead.

They continued to hold a small advantage until late in the half, when they took control with a 12-0 stretch. Kennedy and Hardy capped the burst with three-pointers, putting St. John's up 33-14. The Red Storm carried a 37-22 lead into the break.

Hardy's three-point play a little more than two minutes in extended the St. John's lead to 44-24, and the Blue Demons' shooting struggles allowed the Red Storm to pull away further.

Dwayne Polee II dunked with just under 13 minutes remaining, ending an eight- point run and giving the Red Storm a 57-28 lead, and they cruised from there.

Game Notes

St. John's played its 500th game at Carnesecca Arena...The Red Storm shot 54 percent, while DePaul made 31 percent of its shots...St. John's held a 43-29 rebounding edge.