Xavier led by as many as 16 in the second half before St. John's stormed back to win it in overtime Wednesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Riding the program's best start in 39 years, No. 20 St. John's regained sole possession of first place in the Big East by rallying past Xavier 79-71 in overtime.

Zuby Ejiofor scored six of his 16 points in overtime and No. 20 St. John's erased a 16-point deficit in the second half to rally past Xavier 79-71 on Wednesday night. Kadary Richmond had a season-high 19 points for the Red Storm (17-3,

St. John's enters the matchup against Seton Hall as losers of three straight games. The teams square off Saturday for the first time this season.

Zuby Ejiofor is second on the team in scoring average at 14.6 points and first in rebounds (8.2) and blocked shots (1.9).

As the conference schedule wraps around, the element of surprise St. John's had early in the season may have lessened a bit.

The Red Storm overcame a 16-point deficit to earn their their sixth straight win and 12th win in the last 13 games.

Xavier nearly doubled its NCAA Tournament chances with an upset of Marquette. Another Quadrant 1 opportunity awaits Wednesday vs. St. John's at MSG.

The long climb back to national relevance has finally ended for No. 20 St. John's. But Rick Pitino and the Red Storm are nowhere near satisfied ... of toughness on the defensive end," Xavier coach Sean Miller said. "As the game wore on, they started ...

The Johnnies are among the nation’s best in shutting down opposing offenses — and it’s helped them get out to their best start in 35 years

Xavier is out to rebound from a disappointing road loss in Big East play when they host No. 19 UConn on Saturday night in Cincinnati. Xavier (12-8, 4-5 Big East)

Xavier lost Dailyn Swain to an ankle sprain while the sophomore was having one of his best games (career-high 16 points) vs. St. John's. Swain's status is up in the air Saturday, so it falls on Jerome Hunter to turn his season around.