It was ugly.
It was awkward.
It was equal parts frustrating and infuriating at times.
This was also a classic 2024-25 St. John's game, as the Johnnys finished on the right side of the win column. They are starting to master the art of winning ugly.
This 63-58 victory over Georgetown in front of an enthusiastic crowd of 12,757 at the Garden certainly wasn't pretty.
St. John's was out of steam, point guard Davon Smith was injured, and it showed.
They were outscored by as many as 14 points in both halves, held to just four points in transition, and shot 34.8 percent from the field.
But again, they were the tougher team in winning time. They got the stops they needed and made important plays on offense.
Now, this team has improved to 6 wins and 1 loss in league play for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
St. John's hasn't had a better start to a season through 18 games since going 16-2 in 1985-86, and has now won 10 of its past 11 games.
“When you're in New York City and you play well and win, the whole city of New York is rooting for you. That's what's happening right now,” sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher said. “We’re really looking forward to what we can do for the rest of the season.”
Kadary Richmond and RJ Lewis both made key baskets in the final 50 seconds, and the Johnnys' defense was at its best after halftime, holding Georgetown to 32.1 percent shooting, 21 points, and nine turnovers. Ta.
Just like in Saturday's win over Villanova, Wilcher shook off a bad shooting night with a monster 3-pointer to extend the lead to four points with 2:07 left.
And then he came up with a clutch steal and added to it in the final seconds when Georgetown (12-5, 3-3) was trying to fight back.
“My favorite game of the night was [steal] He made a shot and then RJ blocked the shot,” coach Rick Pitino said.
It was another example of the St. John's (15-3, 6-1) team handling adversity well.
Without Smith, their transition game was almost non-existent. It was difficult for the offense to get into a rhythm. They were slammed against the glass in the first half.
Check out the latest Big East standings and St. Louis. John's statistics
It didn't matter. St. John's dominated the final period, outscoring Georgetown 17-8 in the final 9 minutes, 25 seconds, similar to recent wins over Providence, Butler and Villanova.
“If St. John's University is not ranked, we don't know who is among the voters, but [but] you are blind Wake up,'” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “That's one of the best teams we've played all year. Anyone with voting power behind that iron microphone, wake up.”
Lewis had 19 points, followed by Aaron Scott with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Richmond added 10 points and eight assists.
Zuby Ejiofor had 10 points and nine rebounds. Micah Peavy scored 21 points for Georgetown, which was in full control at halftime but went up by 10 points.
That lead expanded to 14 points early in the second half. Richmond was scoreless at this point. After committing back-to-back turnovers in the first half (the only turnover in 35 minutes), they were given a quick hook.
Richmond was a different player in the second half. He was more aggressive, more focused and better defensively.
He scored all 10 points after the break, and it was his runner in the lane who pushed the lead to five points with 50.8 seconds left, sealing the win.
His teammates had similarly impactful plays in the final 20 minutes.
“The win tonight was more important than the individual performance because RJ didn't play well,” Pitino said. “No one played well. Cadderly had a spurt, but no one played well. But they got the win. [above everything else]”
“It wasn't our best night. It wasn't Rembrandt. But they had a strong will to win and as a coach I couldn't appreciate that more.”
