NEW YORK (AP) — Dillon Mitchell had 17 points and 11 rebounds as St. John's rallied from 15 down in the second half to beat Seton Hall 65-60 on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, giving Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino his 899th career win.
Pitino can reach 900 on Saturday at Xavier with a victory over his son, of all things. Richard Pitino is in his first season coaching the Musketeers.
Bryce Hopkins added 13 points and eight boards for the Red Storm (14-5, 7-1 Big East), who sit just outside the AP Top 25 this week. St. John's has won five straight and 10 of 12.
AJ Staton-McCray scored 16 points to pace the rugged Pirates (14-5, 4-4), who lost their third game in a row. Tajuan Simpkins added 14 off the bench, and Stephon Payne had 13 points and 15 rebounds.
After a one-week stint at No. 25 in the AP poll, Seton Hall didn't receive any votes Monday following home losses to then-No. 3 UConn and Butler.
Seton Hall took a 38-32 lead into halftime and scored the first nine points of the second half to open a 47-32 cushion — matching the largest deficit for St. John's all season.
But the Red Storm got more aggressive on both ends and chipped away, aided by some poor free-throw shooting from the Pirates.
Mitchell's layup with 4:53 remaining put St. John's ahead 55-54, its first lead since there was 6:43 left in the first half. Dylan Darling made a critical steal and two driving layups down the stretch, and Zuby Ejiofor sank three late free throws to help the Johnnies hold on.
St. John's grabbed 27 of its 41 rebounds in the second half and finished with 20 offensive boards, including 13 after halftime.
Seton Hall visits DePaul on Saturday.
St. John's plays Saturday at Xavier, pitting 73-year-old Rick Pitino against his son for the first time in a conference game. Richard Pitino is 1-3 in coaching matchups with his father, including a loss last season at MSG with New Mexico.
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