NEW YORK (Interstat) — Saint John’s used a dominant first half and a balanced scoring attack to overwhelm Harvard 85-59 in a nonconference men’s basketball game Tuesday night at Carnesecca Arena.

The Red Storm (8-4) seized control early, building a 13-point halftime lead and never allowing the Crimson (6-7) to mount a serious challenge in the second half before a crowd of 5,260.

The most critical stretch of the game came midway through the first half, turning a competitive opening into a comfortable Saint John’s advantage. Harvard’s Robert Hinton had given the Crimson an early 7-5 lead with a layup, but the Red Storm responded with a decisive 22-6 run over the next seven minutes. The surge was fueled by defensive pressure and efficient offense. Saint John’s forced four Harvard turnovers during the run, converting them into easy opportunities. Ian Jackson and Zuby Ejiofor were pivotal, with Jackson hitting two three-pointers and Ejiofor scoring on a tip-in and adding an assist. When Joson Sanon capped the run with a three-pointer at the 8:39 mark, Saint John’s led 27-13 and Harvard never recovered.

Saint John’s offensive efficiency was the story, as they scored 85 points on just 72 possessions for an offensive rating of 118.8. They shot 50% from the field (31 of 62) and connected on 9 of 23 from three-point range. Defensively, they held Harvard to 43.4% shooting and a frigid 4-of-20 performance from beyond the arc. The Red Storm also won the battle on the glass, securing 10 offensive rebounds to Harvard’s four.

Ejiofor, a 6-foot-9 forward from Garland, Texas, led Saint John’s with 14 points and four assists in 26 minutes. He was joined by Bryce Hopkins of Oak Park, Illinois, who also tallied 14 points and four assists, and Ian Jackson of the Bronx, who contributed 14 points, including three three-pointers. Dillon Mitchell added nine points and Joson Sanon had 10.

Harvard was led by Robert Hinton of Los Angeles, who scored 12 points, and Chandler Pigge of Houston, who added 13. The Crimson struggled to find any consistent offensive rhythm, managing an offensive rating of just 89.1 and committing 12 turnovers.

Saint John’s built its halftime lead to 46-33 and maintained a double-digit advantage throughout the entire second half. The Red Storm lead ballooned to as many as 28 points in the final minutes, with Lefteris Liotopoulos of Thessaloniki, Greece, providing a late spark off the bench with eight points, including two three-pointers, in just six minutes.

Harvard, which entered the game coming off a win over Holy Cross, saw its record dip below .500. Saint John’s, projected by analytics to have a 99% probability to win, rebounded from a road loss to Kentucky its last time out.

The total points scored, 144, narrowly exceeded the over/under line of 144.5.

Harvard next travels to face Colgate on Sunday. Saint John’s begins Big East Conference play on New Year’s Eve at Georgetown.