St. John’s needs big wins down the stretch to help its postseason chances. The Red Storm got one Sunday, registering a dominant 93-78 victory over third-ranked Duke at Madison Square Garden.

The Red Storm (12-8, 4-5 Big East) ended a three-game losing streak and did so while playing its eighth straight game against a nationally-ranked opponent. Though beating Duke helps St. John’s candidacy as a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, the Red Storm still have more work to do to make the field. They’re currently 11th in the Big East standings.

The Red Storm took the lead for good on the strength of a 20-8 run after spotting Duke a 4-0 edge. St. John’s built a 46-25 advantage by halftime and stayed in front by a comfortable double-digit margin for the remainder of the game.

Dwight Hardy totaled 12 of his 26 points during the first half for St. John’s, which gets a break from its gauntlet of ranked foes to host Rutgers on Wednesday. Justin Brownlee added 20 points and Paris Horne had 15 points.

Nolan Smith led all scorers with 32 points, but Duke (19-2, 6-2 ACC) saw its four-game win streak end. The Blue Devils were abysmal from 3-point range, missing 20 of their first 21 attempts beyond the arc.

Smith and Kyle Singler (20 points) accounted for almost two-thirds of Duke’s entire output.