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QUEENS, N.Y. – Anthony Mason Jr. hit a three-pointer with only two seconds remaining to break a 62-62 tie and send St. John’s to a dramatic 65-62 victory over Seton Hall on Saturday.

Mason Jr. scored a game-high 24 points and was 5-for-7 from three-point range.  St. John’s as a team was 7-for-8 from behind the arc in the second half and made their last seven to finish the game. 

The winning three-pointer came immediately following a clutch three-pointer by Seton Hall senior Jamar Nutter (Bloomfield, N.J.) that tied the game at 62 with only 10 seconds left.  Nutter finished the game with 14 points and was 4-for-10 from three-point range.

The Pirates top performer on this afternoon, was John Garcia (Brentwood, N.Y.).  For the third straight game, Garcia scored in double-figures and turned in a gritty effort.  The 6-foot-9 sophomore scored 14 points, grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and blocked a career-high six shots in 32 minutes.  In his last three games, Garcia is averaging 13.3 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.

Both teams started off the game shooting poorly.  Seton Hall missed their first six shots and had only one made field goal over the game’s first 6:36.  St. John’s had four turnovers in the same amount of time and made only two of their first seven shots.

The Pirates broke ahead on back-to-back three-pointers by Nutter, which capped a 12-0 Seton Hall run making the score 24-14 with 5:21 remaining in the first half.  St. John’s ended the half on a mini-5-0 run of their own, which cut the Pirates lead to 32-24 at halftime.

After starting slowly, Seton Hall ended up shooting a blistering 52.0% from the floor in the first half and was 4-for-9 from three-point range.

St. John’s began the second half with an 11-2 run, capped by a driving layup by D.J. Kennedy, which tied the score at 34 with 15:03 remaining in regulation.

The Pirates went on a 10-0 run punctuated by a pretty court-length inbound pass from Brian Laing (Bronx, N.Y.) to Nutter with 6:16 remaining and Seton Hall ahead, 52-43.  Laing finished with 12 points and five rebounds.

Seton Hall appeared to have iced the game, but St. John’s stormed back with a flurry of three-pointers.  A three-pointer by Mason Jr. cut the lead to seven, and another by Larry Wright, on their next possession, cut the lead to four, 55-51, with 4:22 remaining.

With Seton Hall clinging to a 59-54 lead with only 1:49 remaining, Mason Jr. and Larry Wright again hit back-to-back three-pointers to put St. John’s ahead, 60-59.  It was their first lead since the score was 14-12 in the first half.

Garcia fouled Justin Burrell with only 20 seconds remaining and Burrell made both free throws adding to the Red Storm lead, 62-59. 

On the Pirates’ next possession, Nutter hit the game-tying three-pointer, but the Seton Hall defense couldn’t contain Mason Jr., who hit the game-winner with only two seconds to go.

The Pirates could have clinched a berth in the BIG EAST Championship with a win today, but still control their own destiny.  All the Pirates need to clinch is a victory in one of their final two games or a loss by St. John’s in one of their final two.

For the game, Seton Hall out-rebounded the Red Storm, 32-to-25, but were out-shot, 48.1%-to-44.9%.  Seton Hall uncharacteristically committed more turnovers, 18-to-16.

The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, March 5 as they take on the Syracuse Orange.  Game time is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.