St. John’s Defeats West Virginia in Intense Big East-Big 12 Showdown

West Virginia men’s basketball suffered a 79-73 loss to the St. John’s Red Storm at the WVU Coliseum on Friday for the Big East-Big 12 Battle. The game came down to execution in the final minutes, with St. John’s taking advantage of a significant turnover margin and physicality on the interior to secure the victory.

Forward Josiah Harris opened the scoring for West Virginia with two free throws, followed by a three-pointer from guard Johnson. However, St. John’s center Joel Soriano quickly responded, knocking down two inside shots and a three-pointer to keep the game close.

Quinn Slazinski then scored eight points on a 12-4 run to push WVU ahead 19-13, but St. John’s fought back, tying the game at 30 by the end of the first half.

In the second half, both teams continued to trade leads with St. John’s finding success from beyond the arc. West Virginia mounted a late comeback, but it wasn’t enough to overcome St. John’s, resulting in a 79-73 defeat for the Mountaineers.

Despite the loss, West Virginia looks ahead to their next matchup against the Pittsburgh Panthers for the Backyard Brawl on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at the WVU Coliseum.