St. John's stings Marquette in 2OTs, 91-90

St. John's stings Marquette in 2OTs, 91-90

Published Mar. 8, 2014 3:29 p.m. ET

MILWAUKEE -- D'Angelo Harrison scored 20 points and hit a clutch 3 in double overtime, Marquette's Derrick Wilson missed a jumper with 1 second left and St. John's held on for a 91-90-win Saturday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Rysheed Jordan went 1 of 2 at the line to give the Red Storm the lead before Marquette called timeout with 13.9 seconds left. Marquette couldn't get a clean look for one of its top scorers, so Wilson took the shot that glanced off front of the rim at the buzzer.

St. John's (20-11, 10-8 Big East) clinched the fifth seed in the league tournament next week.

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Todd Mayo finished with 20 points and hit a runner before the buzzer in regulation that tied the game for Marquette (17-14, 9-9).

It was a fitting end for two physical teams fighting to improve postseason resumes and jostling for position in the conference tourney.

St. John's left Marquette an opening in the second overtime after shooting poorly from the foul line. God'sgift Achiuwa went 2 of 6 from stripe in the period before Jordan missed at the foul line late.

But the Red Storm held on defensively in the closing seconds. Marquette also didn't have Mayo, its best clutch shooter, after he fouled out earlier in double overtime.

Until then, he was the go-to player for coach Buzz Williams. Mayo lost the handle on the ball at the end of the first overtime, but his shot that bounced tantalizingly on the rim a couple times before falling through to tie the game at 72 sent the fans into hysterics at the Bradley Center.

But it turned into a disappointing Senior Day at Marquette, which lost its second straight double-overtime game.

Senior Davante Gardner led the Golden Eagles with 21 points and typically bullish play underneath, while Jamil Wilson added 15 points and seven rebounds.

After starting 0-5 in the league, the Red Storm surged to a 10-3 finish in the Big East. Jordan finished with 20 points, six assists and five steals, including a strip of Gardner in the post that he converted into a transition layup.

That bucket helped St. John's build a 72-66 lead with 22 seconds left before Marquette's frantic finish to regulation.

Senior Jake Thomas helped extend his last regular-season game at home after a steal off an inbounds pass with 9 seconds left in regulation to get Marquette within two before another clutch shot this season by Mayo. The younger brother of Milwaukee Bucks guard O.J. Mayo seems to always come through in close games.

Phil Greene IV (11 points) had the touch from long range after hitting first-half 3s before Thomas got hot in the second half to give Marquette an outside-shooting presence it desperately needed. Thomas finished with 14 points.

Tense glances between the teams and lively scrambles on the floor for loose balls were the norm in a back-and-forth contest at the Bradley Center. The play was chippy from the early-going.

Gardner, who usually comes off the bench, got the start in his last regular season game. He led an aggressive attack in the lane early before the Red Storm regrouped and led by as much eight thanks in large part to three first-half 3s by Greene IV.

St. John's led by as much as eight in the half before Jake Thomas had a steal and fall-away 3 just before the halftime buzzer to give Marquette a 36-35 lead.

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