St. John’s 86, Providence 76: D’Angelo Harrison scored 22 points and JaKarr Sampson had 21 as the visiting Red Storm built a 23-point lead in the second half and held off a rally by the Friars.

Freshman Rysheed Jordan contributed a season-high 18 points and six assists for St. John’s (14-9, 4-6 Big East), which won for the fifth time in six games. Harrison made 11-of-12 free throws and Chris Obekpa added 10 points and three blocks for the Red Storm.

Bryce Cotton led the way with a season-high 32 points for Providence (16-7, 6-4), which shot 38.1 percent from the field and turned the ball over 15 times. Kadeem Batts registered 15 points and 10 rebounds while Josh Fortune scored 12 and LaDontae Henton 10 for the Friars.

Sampson scored 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting in the first half as the Red Storm led by as much as 19 en route to a 53-37 advantage at intermission. Jordan added 13 points and five assists in the opening 20 minutes as St. John’s shot 61.1 percent from the field and made 4-of-7 from behind the 3-point arc.

The Red Storm pushed their lead to 23 early in the second half before Providence ran off 16 straight, highlighted by Cotton’s four-point play, to pull within 67-60 with about nine minutes left. The Friars closed within five with 47 seconds left, but Harrison drained two free throws and the Red Storm held on.

GAME NOTEBOOK: The 53 points by the Red Storm in the opening 20 minutes matched their season high for a half, set in the second against Youngstown State on Dec. 21 in a 96-87 victory. … Cotton topped his career high in points during Big East play. He previously had 27 versus Louisville in 2012. … St. John’s leads the all-time series 58-44 after the teams split a pair this season.