Justin Brownlee scored 20 points and St. John's rallied from a six-point deficit late in the second half before beating Ball State 78-73 in overtime Wednesday night in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout.
D.J. Kennedy added 15 points and Dwight Hardy had 14 for the Red Storm (2-1), who won their second consecutive game after dropping the season opener under new coach Steve Lavin. St. John's squandered a 13-point lead in the second half and trailed 62-56 with 2:15 to go.
Brownlee shot 8 of 11 from the field and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. He scored the final two baskets in regulation, including a layup in the lane with 32.3 seconds left that tied it at 63. Ball State's Randy Davis airballed a fadeaway jumper just before the buzzer, sending the game to overtime.
Jesse Berry led the Cardinals (2-2) with 18 points.
