NEWARK, N.J. -- Chris Obekpa sank a free throw with 2.1 seconds left to give St. John's a 68-67 victory over Seton Hall on Thursday night.
D'Angelo Harrison's drive for a one-handed dunk with 1:32 left had tied the game at 67. Fuquan Edwin then missed a 3-pointer at the other end and St. John's (16-9, 6-6 Big East) called time out with 19.6 seconds left. That led to the pass inside to Obekpa and the foul.
Edwin led all scorers with 25 points while teammate Patrik Auda had 15 points and six rebounds for Seton Hall. Harrison led St. John's with 12 points while Rysheed Jordan, Obeka and Sir'Dominic Pointer each had 10 points for the Red Storm.
St John's hadn't won a road game in the series since Feb. 15, 1998. Seton Hall (13-12, 4-8) lost to the Red Storm last month, 77-76.
Two Seton Hall starters, 6-9 center Eugene Teague and 6-7 swingman Brian Oliver, were not dressed for the game. Both seniors were suspended by coach Kevin Willard on Wednesday for disciplinary reasons.
Oliver, the team's top 3-point shooter, averages 12 points per game and was the leading scorer with 15 points in the team's loss to Marquette on Tuesday. Teague, who is shooting 80 percent from the floor in Big East home games, averages 10.1 points and 7.8 rebounds.
Seton Hall used a 12-2 burst to grab a four-point lead. Jaren Sina hit a 3-pointer, Edwin sank two free throws and Harrison interrupted for St. John's with two foul shots. Sterling Gibbs then drove the lane for two and Aaron Geramipoor scored on an offensive rebound. Edwin's three-point play made it 67-63 lead with 3:10 showing.
After Edwin's 3-pointer gave Seton Hall a 52-51 edge, St. John's clamped down defensively and put together an 8-1 burst to regain the lead. Orlando Sanchez drove for two, Obekpa scored inside and Harrison sank two free throws before Obekpa went up strong for another two and a 59-53 lead with 7:54 to go.
St. John's turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, helping Seton Hall take a 38-33 lead into the break. Edwin led the Pirates in the first half with 13 points and Patrik Auda came off the bench to score 12.
