Improving Johnnies face stern Xavier test

A nine-point halftime lead quickly had become a six-point deficit. A hot start has vanished, and the Providence College crowd was now in a frenzy.

Chris Mullin called a timeout, looked into his players’ eyes, and told them simply: “This is what I’m talking about,” referring to the frequent talks they’ve had about learning how to win when tough times hit, growing from these situations.

From there, the Red Storm flipped the script of so many prior defeats, finding a way to win the type of game they previously had lost, rallying past the Friars last Wednesday in their own building for the Red Storm’s 10th win of the season, and fourth Big East victory.

It may not seem like much, but coming from where they were a year ago — St. John’s won a single league game and finished 8-24 — and how the non-conference season went, dropping games to low-major opponents LIU-Brooklyn and Delaware State, Mullin is encouraged by the progress.

“They proved to themselves that they can fight through on the road after playing a great first half and coming out a little flat [in the second half],” Mullin said, as St. John’s prepared to host No. 24 Xavier on Sunday night at the Garden (6 p.m., FS1).

Freshmen guards Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett have each responded to brief slumps with breakout performances, and combined for 48 points in the win over Providence, taking turns making big plays. Sophomore guard Malik Ellison has emerged as an all-around factor, a two-way dynamo, and Tariq Owens has become the team’s defensive backbone and its spark plug off the bench.

A win Sunday over Xavier, and the Red Storm (10-12, 4-5 Big East) would move to .500 in the conference, and into a fifthplace tie with the Musketeers. It would be another baby step toward relevance, just like the road win at Providence.

“Last year we won one [Big East] game. Being .500 would be a big step,” Owens said. “Especially at this point of the season.”