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Marquette uses big second half to beat St. John's

Jan 12, 2012 - 5:58 AM Milwaukee, WI (Sports Network) - Davante Gardner finished with 22 points and 15 rebounds as No. 25 Marquette rolled past St. John's, 83-64, on Wednesday.

Darius Johnson-Odom netted 20 points to go with six assists, and Jae Crowder had 15 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Eagles (13-4, 2-2 Big East), who bounced back from a 73-66 loss at the hands of top-ranked Syracuse on Saturday. Todd Mayo donated 12 points for the victors.

"I think we need to find a way to play for 40 minutes," Marquette head coach Buzz Williams said. "I thought our guys were outstanding in the second half."

God'sgift Achiuwa paced the Red Storm (8-8, 2-3) with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Moe Harkless had 17 points and six rebounds. D'Angelo Harrison chipped in with 10 points for St. John's, which has lost three of its past four games.

Trailing 36-35 early in the second half, Marquette began to take control of the game with a 7-0 burst to lead 42-36 with under four minutes gone in the second half.

A pair of free throws by Harkless cut the deficit to 49-44, but Marquette essentially put the game away with a 22-4 run to lead 71-48 with 5:59 to play in regulation.

The Golden Eagles led by double-digits the rest of the way and cruised to the easy win.

After an extremely tight first half which featured three ties and 13 lead changes, St. John's held a 32-31 edge.

Both teams shot an identical 42.9 percent (12-of-28) from the floor, while Marquette committed eight turnovers in the opening half to only four for St. John's. Achiuwa paced the Red Storm with 13 points in the half, while Gardner led Marquette with 14.

Game Notes

Marquette owns a 14-6 lead in the all-time series with St. John's...Marquette shot 56 percent from the floor and 4-of-12 from three-point range, while the Red Storm shot 41 percent from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc...Marquette outrebounded the Red Storm, 38-29...Marquette dominated in the paint, outscoring St. John's, 56-38.