Eight days after a tragic personal loss, David Jones was able to exhale for a few hours. He was on the Madison Square Garden floor, where he could transfer his grief from the death of his father, David Apolinar Jones Sr., into the sport he loves. With a heavy heart, the junior wing led St. John’s to one of its best wins in what has been a frustrating season, scoring 16 points and adding seven rebounds off the bench in a 73-68 upset of No. 20 Providence.

“Not everyone knows this, but my dad was the one who taught me how to play basketball. He put me [on the path] to be good at basketball,” the soft-spoken Jones said afterward. “He always was keeping my confidence up.

“I just wanted to play in my dad’s name. I wanted to win for him. I was going to do whatever it takes to win this game and I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the other games as well.”

The elder Jones, who was ill for a lengthy period of time, passed away last Friday. He had lost his sight and died from a heart attack at the age of 54, his son said.

The 6-foot-6 Jones had missed the last two games after going home to bury his father in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He returned Tuesday and was unsure if he was going to play on Saturday. He was still overcome with emotion. But the more he thought about what his dad would want, the more he realized there was only one decision to make. His teammates made it an even easier choice. They were there throughout for him. When he received the news, they comforted him. When he was in the Dominican Republic, they flooded his phone with heartfelt messages.

“I just really wanted him to know that everybody on this team has his back, no matter what,” junior guard Posh Alexander said.

Jones got a tattoo of his father’s nickname, “El Varon,” (meaning “The Man”) on his right arm with the dates of his dad’s birth and death underneath it. He kept kissing the tattoo during the game.

“He gave me strength,” Jones said of his late father’s memory. “I felt like he was right behind me in everything I was doing.”

The season hadn’t gone according to plans for Jones or St. John’s (15-11, 5-10). After a strong start in non-conference play, he has struggled with shot selection and consistency. But Saturday, he was the player the Red Storm envisioned after he transferred this offseason from DePaul. He was a factor on the glass, with seven rebounds. He scored in the paint and from the perimeter.

It was a day to cherish for Jones and St. John’s. The Red Storm defended well, limiting Providence to 33 percent shooting. They hit 15 of 18 free throws. They received balanced scoring, with five players in double figures, including AJ Storr with 15 and Dylan Addae-Wusu with 13. Alexander had one of his better games of the year, notching 10 points and nine assists, and Joel Soriano chipped in 10 points and 13 rebounds.

The Red Storm played with a purpose. That purpose was for their teammate who was dealing with the loss of his beloved dad. Before the game, Alexander told Jones they were going to pull off the upset for his father.

“This is my brother, man. When he’s in pain, we feel it,” Soriano said. “We felt the loss. Maybe the season hasn’t been going how we wanted it, or how some of the fans wanted it, but we’re going to come out and play hard every game. It’s a long season. We still have life left in this team, and we’re not going to give up.”

Retired Duke Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski was in attendance and spoke to the St. John’s team after the victory. St. John’s athletic director Mike Cragg and Coach K are very close, dating to Cragg’s days at Duke.

Junior guard Andre Curbelo (coach’s decision) was inactive. St. John’s coach Mike Anderson declined to offer an explanation and was noncommittal on his status for the game Tuesday at DePaul. Curbelo was previously suspended one game for disciplinary reasons.