Kamar Baldwin and Jordan Tucker combined for 54 points as Butler posted an 80-71 win over St. John's Saturday afternoon at a sold-out Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

Baldwin's season-high 30 points included 20 in the second half. Tucker's career-high 24 points included six three-pointers. Butler's second straight win improves the Bulldogs to 12-7 overall and levels their BIG EAST mark at 3-3.

"Our fans came out in some nasty weather and were great for us today," said coach LaVall Jordan of the sell-out crowd of 9,121. "That's why you come to Butler…for the opportunity to play on this stage in this place. We truly earned that win against a team with a lot of firepower. We have guys with bloody lips and bloody knees. I'm proud of the fight."

Butler created some distance in the first half, using a 14-2 run to take an early 22-10 lead. The Bulldogs made nine of 10 attempts from the field during a stretch late in the half, which ultimately led to a 39-27 Butler lead at the break.

Just like they did Wednesday night in their road win at DePaul, Butler used a key second-half run to take control. On Saturday, it was a 17-2 spurt that gave the Bulldogs a 58-36 lead with 14:09 to play. St. John's (15-4, 3-4 BIG EAST) would cut the lead to as little as four in the closing minutes before Butler made seven of its final eight free throw attempts over the final 42 seconds to secure the victory.

In his 39 minutes of work, Baldwin made 10 of 18 attempts from the field, and eight of his 10 free throws. He added eight rebounds. This performance came on the heels of a double-double Wednesday at DePaul.

Sean McDermott matched his career-high with 12 rebounds as Butler took a 40-36 edge in the rebounding margin. Tucker had six rebounds, and Joey Brunk had five.

Butler shot 46 percent from the field, and made 11-of-25 from behind the arc. The Bulldogs also had a 37-4 advantage in bench points, making that 93-10 in favor of Butler over its last three games.

Shamorie Ponds and Mustapha Heron led St. John's with 20 points apiece. St. John's shot 38 percent for the game, and only 29 percent (7-24) from three-point range.

The Bulldogs have another quick turnaround as the defending national champions visit Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday night. The 7 p.m. tip with Villanova will air nationally on FS1. A limited number of tickets are still available.