NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. – Tuesday night, the St. John’s Red Storm were matched up against the Georgetown Hoyas and trying to break a four game losing slide. The Red Storm are a young team, that is still struggling to find their identity. Georgetown entered the contest looking for their second win in Big East Conference play, and for Coach Patrick Ewing‘s first head coaching win in Madison Square Garden.
This game had the feel of a classic Big East battle. Both teams were playing very physical, and struggled shooting from the field. Both Georgetown (33%) and St. John’s (37%) shot poorly from the field , due to the defensive pressure each team applied on each other. The Hoyas particularly had a tough time taking care of the basketball, as they turned the ball over 22 times.
![(Photo Credit: Barry Holmes/PureSportsNY) Govan pictured hitting the go ahead shot late in the second half.](http://puresportsny.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/stjohnsaction-e1515742903414.jpg)
Still the game was tightly contested, as the game was gridlocked at 31-31 going into halftime. Georgetown did it’s best to pull away from the Red Storm, but St. John’s showed true grit. The Red Storm battled their way back from a eight point deficit with less than five minutes in the second half. From there, the game went back and forth until a clutch three pointer from the Hoyas’ Jessie Govan (18 points) put Georgetown up for good.
St. John’s still had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but a bad final shot from Shamorie Ponds (17 points) ended all possibility of a comeback. The Red Storm fell to the Hoyas 69-66, and lost their fifth straight game.
Some are even questioning the job security of Coach Chris Mullin, after the Red Storm’s recent struggles. The fact is, St. John’s is a young inexperienced team that is having growing pains. The Red Storm lack the talent to outscore opponents, and their absence of a go-to scorer makes their effort defensively that more important. There’s just no way you can get out-rebounded 49-34, an expect to come out on top.
Barry Holmes is a Senior Writer for PureSportsNY.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732
(Featured Photo Credit: Barry Holmes/PureSportsNY)