Kyron Cartwright scored 21 points and had 15 assists, helping Providence to a 94-72 win over St. John's on Thursday in New York in the Big East opener for both teams.

Rodney Bullock scored 20 points, Jalen Lindsey added 18 -- all from beyond the arc -- and Alpha Diallo had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the Friars, who shot 54.7 percent for the game, including 61.3 percent in the second half.

Providence (10-4, 1-0 Big East) used its seventh different starting lineup of the season.

After a back-and-forth opening 20 minutes, the Friars gradually pulled away in the second half.

Cartwright's 3-pointer with 14:25 to go gave them a 58-51 lead, and Providence used a 14-2 run to make it 76-57 with 7:54 remaining.

The Friars made 11 of 16 3-pointers in the second half.

The Red Storm cut the deficit lead to 13 with 4:20 to go, but Bullock and Lindsey hit 3-pointers to make it 86-69 a minute later.

Marvin Clark II scored 20 points and Shamorie Ponds added 16 and six assists for St. John's (10-3, 0-1), which was 0-for-10 from 3-point range in the second half.

Ponds made a layup with 4:14 remaining in the first half to cap an 8-0 run and give the Red Storm a 32-26 lead that matched the biggest of the first half for either team.

There were nine lead changes in the opening 20 minutes.

Both teams will hit the road for Sunday games.

Providence travels to take on Creighton, while St. John's plays its first true road game this season at No. 23 Seton Hall.