St. Mirren were keen to put another three points between them and Dunfermline and Motherwell were looking to move only three points behind sixth-placed Kilmarnock.
The home side were the first to create any real danger when an Eddie Malone free-kick from the left on 11 minutes caused panic in the visitors' six-yard box.
The ball eventually reached the head of Kirk Broadfoot but his effort was stopped at close range by Graeme Smith.
It was also the Saints who were next to threaten again on 25 minutes when a Richard Brittain corner picked out Stephen O'Donnell at the edge of the box and his volley deflected to Stewart Kean, who somehow bundled past from only a couple of yards out.
Home keeper Chris Smith was reduced to keeping out headers from his own defence as Motherwell failed to create anything of note in the first half, despite a number of probing through balls from the ever dangerous Scott McDonald.
Saints had two further chances to go ahead before the break, but Smith did well to turn Brittain's long-range effort away from danger, and then Kean somehow missed again from close range after fine build-up play from Paul Lawson at the edge of the box.
After an early long-range effort from John Sutton that sailed wide, the big Englishman came closer in 58 minutes when a Corrigan clearance rebounded off him and trickled wide with Smith beaten.
The remainder of the second half was an error strewn affair that saw neither side pose any goal threat, apart from an O'Donnell header in 90 minutes which landed on the roof of the net.
The game ended with a point apiece that doesn't really help either side too much.