The St. John’s Men’s Basketball team didn’t claim the second-half lead against Georgetown until there were 46 seconds left in the game, but a key three-pointer by AJ Storr with 4.3 seconds remaining propelled the Johnnies to victory. Storr was one of four Red Storm players to score in double figures during the Sunday, Jan. 29 matchup against the Hoyas at Madison Square Garden.

“He’s a big impact for us,” senior center Joel Soriano said of Storr, who scored 12 points in a team-high 35 minutes played. “I feel like he’s been a big part for us on both ends of the court.”

St. John’s came out strong in the first half, starting five-of-nine from three-point range. Junior guard Dylan Addae-Wusu was the spark, making three of his first four attempts from beyond the arc early in the game. 

But carelessness with the ball and unforced errors by the Johnnies allowed Georgetown, who carried just one Big East win into the contest, to take control of the game. The Red Storm surrendered 10 turnovers in the first half alone and Georgetown’s impressive defensive effort created nine steals. That put the ball in the hands of the Hoyas to end the half, and Georgetown’s Brandon Murray sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to solidify the team’s 39-35 lead. 

When the Johnnies headed into the locker room, head coach Mike Anderson identified two issues: turnovers and effort. “I thought our guys took the message,” Anderson said in a postgame media conference. “I’m very proud of the multiple defensive stops we had when we went down, and I thought we were engaged on defense.”

Though the team did up their ball handling in the second half — St. John’s surrendered two turnovers and grabbed three steals — Georgetown kept their advantage for most of the period. Junior forward David Jones trimmed the Hoyas’ lead with 12 of his 17 points coming in the second half.

“I thought he was poised and ready to go help our basketball team,” Anderson said. “That David Jones helps our basketball team. That’s why we brought him here: to keep impacting this team.”

Jones scored on back-to-back possessions with under two minutes remaining, tossing in a layup and knocking down two free throws. That put St. John’s ahead by two points with 46 seconds left, but Georgetown’s Bryson Mozone hit a three-pointer to take back the lead with 18 seconds left. 

Following the St. John’s timeout, the Hoyas left Storr wide open on the perimeter, and he drained the three-pointer to secure the Red Storm win. 

“Today, we wanted to make a statement for ourselves and the rest of this season,” Soriano said. After the victory, St. John’s is 14-8 overall and 4-7 in the conference.

The Men’s Basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, Feb. 1 when they face Seton Hall at Carnesecca Arena at 8:30 p.m.