NEW YORK – For the third time in the last four years St. John’s and Georgetown met in the Big East Tournament. Familiarity brings contempt? Back in the day this was a blood and guts rivalry. Not so much today, but that does not undersell the importance of the meeting. Especially tonight as the 8-9 seed opener here at Madison Square Garden saw two teams trying to live for another day.
Georgetown had some trouble with the St.John’s press early. Coach Mike Anderson presses full court and will pressure the wings in half court. When they beat the pressure, the Hoyas settled in half court. Early possessions looked inside. Soon they were more than willing to let it fly from the perimeter.
St. John’s built a seven-point lead midway through the half. That soon faded as the Hoyas had the deficit at 2 at the 8 minute media time out.
Georgetown showing zone and St.John’s content to try to beat it from the perimeter rather than make a few passes to break it down.
Georgetown builds an 8 point lead at the 4 minute mark. Back in November the Hoyas’ ‘bigs’ left an impression. Thus far Patrick Ewing’s group is being sparked by perimeter threats Terrell Allen and Jamorko Pickett.
Half: Georgetown 42, St. John’s 33
Hoyas shooting 55 per cent from the floor. St.John’s struggling at 35 per cent. Georgetown scores the first 5 points after intermission. The game is dangerously close to getting away from St.John’s. LJ Figueroa stops the bleeding. The junior swingman has been effective but can’t do it alone.
Contributions start coming from Julian Champagnie and Marcellus Earlington of St. John’s. The St.John’s’ deficit is 5 with just under a dozen minutes left.
Omer Yurtseven is giving Ewing quality minutes. Allen has proved a tough matchup-outside or off the dribble. Just over six minutes left, Georgetown has a 10 point lead. By no means is this insurmountable. By the same token it’s time for St. John’s to put together a run. No sooner ids this written when the switch goes on.
An Earington three pointer sends the Garden into a frenzy. Fatigue and defensive pressure starting to wear on Georgetown. Four minutes left, 62-60 Georgetown. Gut check time for both teams.
Figueroa buries a corner three falling into the St.John’s bench with just over a minute left . Again, the MSG decibel level rises as lead is now 8-in favor of St.John’s.
The final minutes seal the verdict.
St. John’s 75
Georgetown 62
The Hoyas scored two points the final 8 minutes. St.John’s unleashed a 23-0 run to rally and earn a quarterfinal game. Next up top seed Creighton at noon (about 14 and a half hours). No one in the St.John’s party is complaining.
Possessions: 73
Offensive efficiency: St. John’s 103, Georgetown 85
Records: St. John’s 17-15 (5-13), Georgetown 15-17 (5-13)
Leading scorers: St. John’s- Figueroa 22, Earlington 19 (10 rebounds, 3 of 5 from three)
Georgetown- Allen 21 (drew a game high 7 fouls but was guilty of 6 of the Hoyas’ 21 turnovers) , Pickett 13 (10 boards, 4 assists)
St. John’s shot 15 of 19 (79 per cent) from the line. Georgetown was 5 of 8 (63 per cent). The Hoyas dd not get to the charity stripe as 53 per cent of their field goal attempts were beyond the arc. St.John’s attempted 38 per cent from downtown. Very simple, it’s tougher to get to the line when a good part of your attack is perimeter oriented.
