NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Just when it looked like Cadary Richmond was starting to turn the corner, he took a step back.
After a strong performance against Virginia on Friday, the St. John's major-league transfer struggled mightily in a disappointing 66-63 loss to Georgia, capping off a disappointing trip to the Bahamas for the Johnnies.
Richmond was held to just three points on 1-of-8 shooting, 1-of-3 from the free throw line and committed three turnovers.
There was one murderer. St. John's held a three-point lead, 20-7. The Johnnies held the ball and Richmond threw a lazy pass that Georgia freshman Asa Newell picked up at midcourt for an easy dunk with 9:39 left. A 10-0 run began, allowing the Bulldogs to regain control.
“He's making one or two of them a game. It doesn't make sense for that to happen to a great player,” coach Rick Pitino said. “It really hurt on the second shot because he had a few turnovers on defense as well. But he knows that and he acknowledges it.”
RJ Lewis played only eight minutes in the first half due to foul trouble and couldn't find his rhythm. Still, he finished with 13 points on 6-of-13 shooting, but St. John's really missed him in the first half.
“He was our catalyst offensively and had to sit out the whole time with two fouls,” Pitino said. “He should know better than to give his opponent a strong hand and foul him, which is unfortunate.”
Brady Dunlap returned after missing the win over Virginia with a hip injury. He scored, but missed all four of his field goal attempts. Pitino felt the shot was forced.
“He's a good shooter. If he could make a shot unchallenged, he'd have a pretty good chance of making a shot, but every shot he made was challenged,” Hall of Famer said. the coach said.
Turnover remains an issue. St. John's made 15 of those on Sunday and now averages 13.7 per game.
