WASHINTON – In its second meeting with Georgetown this season, St. John’s men’s basketball didn’t fare much better than its first outing, falling to the Hoyas 64-52 last Wednesday at the Verizon Center.

Despite the outcome St. John’s stayed with No. 10 Georgetown throughout much of the contest, but the Hoyas were able to pull away with less than 10 minutes left in the second half.

“They had guys step up and make big shots,” said St. John’s coach Norm Roberts.

The Red Storm was looking for vengeance after an embarrassing 32-point loss to Georgetown at Madison Square Garden earlier this season.

“We know we didn’t play well [in the first game],” Roberts said of St. John’s first meeting with Georgetown. “We didn’t make any shots and they made every shot.”

St. John’s picked up its shooting significantly in Washington, shooting 45 percent while Georgetown shot just 37.5 percent from the field in the first half. But turnovers cost the Johnnies, as it coughed up the ball 13 times in the first half and trailed 27-23 after
20 minutes.

“It’s these 50-50 passes that [we] have to get away from,” Anthony Mason, Jr. said of passes that have only a 50 percent chance of being completed.

Mason, Jr. started off the second half with a powerful slam-dunk as St. John’s got off to a strong start, tying the game at 27 just minutes into the half. The Red Storm hung around until late in the second half, when Georgetown went on an 11-1 run to take the lead 52-42.

DaJuan Summers and Roy Hibbert paced Georgetown with 21 and 17 points, respectively, while Mason, Jr. led St. John’s with 12 points.

“We want the ball in Mason’s hands [and] we want him to make plays for us,” Roberts said.

Despite the strong effort, Mason, Jr. and St. John’s still didn’t get the outcome they desired.

“A loss is a loss,” Mason, Jr. said.

St. John’s took on No. 5 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium Feb. 23, losing 86-56.

The Johnnies showed a little spark in the opening minutes of the first half, leading the Blue Devils 7-0 at the 17:36 mark after a three-pointer by D.J. Kennedy.

St. John’s last lead of the game was at the 12:46 mark of the first when the score was 12-11.

Kennedy and Duke’s Kyle Singler lead all scorers with 16 points a piece.

Despite a late rally in the second half and a 20-point effort by Anthony Mason, Jr., the Johnnies’ self-inflicted 23 turnovers and missed free throws cost them the game to No. 25 Marquette 73-64 on Feb. 20.
Marquette showed signs of a downswing, unworthy of a national ranking, when St. John’s held them to 9-of-25 shooting in the second stanza.

-Additional reporting by Deborah N. Harris