Freshman guard Kemba Walker scored 21 points and senior forward Jeff Adrien added 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead No. 4 Connecticut to a workmanlike 67-55 victory over St. John's on Thursday night.
The win was the fourth straight for the Huskies (15-1, 4-1 Big East) since they lost their conference opener at home to Georgetown.
This was the last of a three-game trip for Connecticut, the ninth time the Huskies have had that long a stretch under coach Jim Calhoun and this was the first time they won all three.
Sophomore guard Paris Horne had a career-high 24 points for the Red Storm (10-6, 1-3), who lost for the fifth time in six games with the lone win over then-No. 7 Notre Dame. This was St. John's third game against a top 10 team in the last 13 days as it fell 90-67 at No. 1 Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Horne's jumper with 16:08 to play had St. John's within 37-36 but the Red Storm struggled against Connecticut's zone defense and the Huskies were able to pull away at Madison Square Garden.
Walker, a native of New York City, scored the last six points of a 7-0 run that gave Connecticut a 51-38 lead with 9:33 to go. He hit his only 3-pointer of the game -- a bank shot -- to cap the run. Walker finished 8-of-12 from the field, many of his field goals coming on layups and driving shots as he used his speed to get ahead of the play after a St. John's missed shot.
Twice the Red Storm got within nine points, but both times A.J. Price hit a 3-pointer -- his only 3s of the game -- to restore a double-digit lead.
Walker's season high was 23 points against La Salle in the third game of the season. He came in averaging 9.8 points per game.
Horne's previous best was 18 points against New Jersey Tech earlier this season. Horne, who came in averaging 12.4 points, was 9-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 on 3s.
This was Connecticut's eighth straight win over St. John's with the Red Storm's last victory an 85-83 overtime decision on Feb. 9, 2002.
