LAS VEGAS — While St. John’s might have felt optimistic after their emphatic victory over Baylor on Tuesday, their fortunes took a sharp turn on Wednesday.

In their final appearance at the Players Era Festival, St. John’s struggled to maintain momentum, succumbing to No. 21 Auburn in an 85-74 defeat. Despite holding an 11-point advantage in the second half, their performance was marred by defensive lapses and a lack of precision.

Dylan Darling, battling an injury, was unable to make an impact during his seven minutes on the court. Auburn’s Tahaad Pettiford exploited this, scoring an impressive 24 points. Zuby Ejiofor led St. John’s with 24 points but could only add seven points to his tally in the second half.

The Red Storm were decisively outperformed in the latter part of the game, with Auburn outscoring them by 20 points in the second half, including a 17-point surge in the last 9:53.

St. John’s offensive struggles were underscored by the lackluster shooting of Bryce Hopkins and Oziyah Sellers, who went a combined 3-of-17 from the field, just a day after the duo had combined for 48 points.

There was no defense, outside of a brief stretch late in the first half. Auburn piled up 44 points in the paint and shot 64 percent after halftime. 

St. John’s (4-3) fell to 1-3 in power-conference games and has dropped six consecutive games against ranked opponents. 

St. John’s started poorly, a reverse of Tuesday’s win over Baylor.

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They were sloppy, disorganized and lacking intensity on defense. The Johnnies had committed six turnovers by the under-12 timeout. 

Auburn was slicing through the Red Storm defense with ease, scoring 20 of its first 23 points in the paint. Ejiofor, scoring on almost every touch inside, kept St. John’s close until it found its footing. 

Over the final 5:26, sparked by reserve Sadiku Ibine Ayo’s energy, St. John’s held Auburn to three points.

They exploded on the other end, finishing the half on a 15-3 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point lead at the break.

Ejiofor enjoyed his best half of the trip, scoring 17 points on 5-of-6 shooting.

The bench, led by five points apiece from Ian Jackson and Ibine Ayo, was productive in more than doubling up Auburn’s reserves 15-7. 

St. John’s pushed the lead out to 11 early in the second half, but then the defensive rebounding issues returned.

Two Auburn second chances led to a quick six points and the lead was soon down to a single possession. Auburn later reeled off six straight points to pull even at 61.

Ibine Ayo answered to give St. John’s the lead back entering the under-8:00 timeout.