ST. JOHN'S 79, DePAUL 72: Moe Harkless posted a double-double and keyed a pivotal second-half burst as St. John's held off a stubborn DePaul squad for its first two-game winning streak since December.

The visitors held a slim 62-61 advantage before Harkless hit a jumper with 6:28 remaining to start an 8-1 run by the Red Storm (12-16, 5-10 Big East). Back-to-back turnovers by DePaul's Jeremiah Kelly helped fuel the spurt, which put St. John's in front for good, 69-63, at the 4:45 mark. The Blue Demons (11-16, 2-13) got as close as 74-72 in the closing minutes but were unable to complete the comeback bid.

St. John's gained some separation at the free-throw line, where they made more shots (25 of 36) than DePaul (16 for 21) attempted. The Red Storm also generated 24 points off 18 turnovers by the Blue Demons, who have lost seven straight and 12 of their last 13 games.

D'Angelo Harrison and Amir Garrett scored 23 and 18 points, respectively, for St. John's, while Harkless finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Cleveland Melvin had 18 points and 15 boards to pace DePaul, which hurt itself by hitting just six of its 31 3-point attempts.

GAME NOTEBOOK: DePaul forward Moses Morgan was held out of action for the fourth consecutive game due to concussion symptoms ... St. John's sweeps the season series with the Blue Demons and takes a 15-14 lead in the all-time series ... The Red Storm host No. 18 Notre Dame Saturday afternoon at Madison Square Garden in New York ... DePaul returns home Saturday to face Providence in a battle for the Big East cellar.