RJ Luis Jr. discovered five career-high 3-pointers and second-seeded St. John’s.
St. John’s (31-4) won its first tournament since 2000. Coach Rick Pitino and the Big East champions will face John Calipari and No. 10 seed Arkansas in the second round on Saturday.
Lewis led all the scorers with 22 points and added eight rebounds. He made five attempts from the deep as St. John’s (30.4% 3-point shooting team entering the night) matched the season best with 14 3-pointers and 14 3-pointers choked up lanes.
Simeon Wilcher scored 13 points for Red Storm. Kadary Richmond had 10 points, 8 rebounds and six assists, while Zuby Ejiofor added 10 points, 7 boards, 4 assists and three blocks.
JJ White scored 15 points and five assists to lead Omaha (22-13), who was playing in the first Division I NCAA tournament after winning the Summit League Championship.
Marquel Sutton scored 11 for the Mavericks, while Isaac Ondekane cut 10 of his 11 rebounds in the first half.
St. John’s missed the first five shots, causing Omaha to take a 7-0 lead, prompting an early timeout from Pitino. After Richmond scored Red Storm on the board, Lewis scored eight St. John’s points in a row, booked by a pair of three-pointers.
The Mavericks made their way 20-14 before St. John’s turned the table. Wilcher cut the lead in half with a three-pointer, prompting a 16-2 run featuring triples such as Davon Smith and Reuben Play.
Omaha cut six straight to 30-28, but Vince’s Iuhuchukw turned into a three-point play with two seconds remaining, giving St. John’s a 33-28 halftime edge.
Lewis had a Red Storm three-point party 14 seconds into the second half. Teammate Aaron Scott splashed the tray, then Lewis and Wilcher were 2-1, with Lewis dancing in the alleyway, giving St. John a solid control 43-30.
Lewis took the first 20-point lead at 13:14, defeating two more triples. Seriously, Redstorm assisted the first eight field goals with half field goals, while committing zero turnovers.
St. John’s restrained the Mavericks in 34 field goal shootings (20.6 percent) and overtook 31-19 in the second half.
– Field-level media
