St. John’s ends game on 23-0 run to stun Georgetown

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)
Special To Daly Dose Of Hoops

NEW YORK — When Mike Anderson took the St. John’s job last April, he promised a team playing relentless pressure defense, imposing its will and wearing the opposition down. 

Maybe that’s how it will transpire every night out. 

In the opener of the Big East Tournament, Anderson’s plan came to fruition. The Red Storm erased a double digit deficit to defeat Georgetown, 75-62, at Madison Square Garden, holding the Hoyas to two points over the last eight minutes as St. John’s went on an improbable 23-0 run to earn a quarterfinal date with Creighton.

“Fatigue was a big factor in this game,” Anderson observed. “I think they wore down near the end. I saw our guys’ energy level pick up, but it started with our defense.”

St. John’s (17-15) went into halftime trailing Georgetown, 42-33. The Hoyas shot 55 percent from the floor as the Red Storm struggled to find the mark offensively. The Hoyas alternated defenses, utilizing both man and zone during the half. All too often, St. John’s, especially against the zone, would settle for a 3-point attempt rather than probe the defense. On the other end, the Red Storm struggled to contain Terrell Allen and Jamorko Pickett. Allen was especially effective breaking down the defense with dribble penetration. 

“That Allen kid was on a roll,” Anderson said. “At halftime, we said someone has to stop him.”

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Georgetown scored the first five points of the second half to push its lead to 14. St. John’s appeared to be on the ropes with the Hoyas pulling away. Two factors changed the complexion of the game. For one, Anderson took a gamble and decided to go with a small lineup.

“Heck,” the coach said with a laugh, “my center was shorter than me.” Second, the Red Storm began getting contributions from other than LJ Figueroa. Until that point, the junior swingman was shouldering the load, keeping St. John’s in the game. During the game’s latter minutes, Marcellus Earlington and Rasheem Dunn came alive. Greg Williams also earned Anderson’s praise for steady play in that final half. 

Earlington was a standout down the stretch. The sophomore swingman rebounded, got to the basket, and buried several big 3-point shots, including one from the corner falling away and landing on the St.John’s bench. That was with just over a minute left, the proverbial dagger that sent the Madison Square Garden crowd into a frenzy. Dunn was steady with nine points, five assists and six rebounds from the guard spot, then there were the essential contributions from the bench. 

“We don’t wear them down if David (Caraher) doesn’t come in and give us those minutes,” Anderson underscored. ”Damien (Sears) comes in and gives quality minutes. Nick (Rutherford) also gave us quality minutes. Everyone contributed in a big way.” 

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For Georgetown, there was a feel of shock surpassing an emotion of disappointment. 

“It doesn’t feel real,” Hoya guard Jagan Mosely said. “A team to go on, like, a 20-0 run. It still hasn’t hit that the game ended like that.” 

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Figueroa led all scorers with 22 points. Allen had 21 for Georgetown. Earlington finished with 19. Beyond point totals, the telltale stat was turnovers. Georgetown was guilty of 21 miscues, translating into a 20-8 St. John’s edge in points off turnovers. 

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With the win in the books, about 14 hours separated the Red Storm from a date with top seed Creighton, a team it handily defeated ten days earlier.

“Greg (McDermott) has done a great job,” Anderson praised. “They’re the Big East champs, so it will be an awesome challenge. At the same time, it’s a great opportunity.”