On New Year's Eve in New York City, the most important ball to drop for Bulldog fans was a three-pointer from Christian David in the final minute to give No. 11/10 Butler a 60-58 win at St. John's in the BIG EAST opener for both teams.

The Bulldogs scored the final seven points of the game, holding St. John's scoreless over the final three minutes and the final five Red Storm possessions.

Butler is now 13-1 on the season, while St. John's, which defeated nationally-ranked Arizona in its last contest, falls to 11-3.

Butler dominated the first half of the game, while the Red Storm countered in the second half. Ten Butler turnovers contributed to a 26-2 St. John's run that allowed the hosts to take a 48-46 lead with 6:49 to play. Much of that run came with Butler senior Kamar Baldwin on the bench with an injured ankle.

Baldwin finished the night with 19 points, including a 5-of-8 performance from three-point range. He played a total of 27 minutes and the Bulldogs were +20 with the preseason All-BIG EAST selection on the court Tuesday night. Butler made a season-high 10 three-pointers in the contest.

"The last few games here at St. John's have been like this for us," said Butler coach LaVall Jordan. "We were up and they came back. This year, we found a way to get the win. You can't simulate what St. John's does in practice. We did a decent job of handling their pressure in the first half, but they ramped it up in the second half. I'm proud of this group, and their toughness, and how we found a way to get this done."

Butler, which entered the game at sixth in the nation by committing only 10.4 turnovers per game, was forced into 24 turnovers. That nearly doubled Butler's season-high of 14.

The Bulldogs closed the first half by scoring 23 of the final 25 points to turn a 14-14 tie with 7:45 remaining into a 37-16 halftime lead. Butler made eight of its final 10 attempts from the field in the first half after opening the game by shooting only 5-of-21. Fourteen of Baldwin's points came in the opening 20 minutes. He had scored a combined 10 points over his previous three games.

Including Tuesday's night's first half, Butler has allowed 16, 21, 14 and now 16 points over its last four first halves. St. John's responded with 42 points after intermission.

Sean McDermott posted the first double-double of his career with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Bryce Nze had a season-high 12 rebounds to go along with five assists and five points. Jordan Tucker scored 12 as the Bulldogs shot 40 percent.

Butler's defense limited St. John's to 4-of-22 shooting from three-point range, and the Bulldogs out-rebounded the home team by a 46-24 margin. Four Red Storm players scored in double figures, led by Nick Rutherford with 15 points. Rutherford had six of the team's 16 steals.

The Bulldogs return to action Saturday, hosting Creighton at Hinkle Fieldhouse for a noon tip.