Wow, what a game.
The Hoyas, sans Mac McClung, escaped from the Garden with a hard-fought win against St. Johns, after trailing by 17 points at one point. Jahvon Blair led the way with a career-high 23 points, and five Hoyas scored in double digits. In fact, those five Hoyas accounted for all but one of the 73 points scored by Georgetown.
The Hoyas had a tough first half against St. John’s, with both teams getting off to an ugly start. However, the Johnnies began to pick up pace and went on several runs while the Hoyas continued to try and figure it out.
Despite out-rebounding the Johnnies in the first half 29-18, the Hoyas also turned the ball over seven times, killing any early chance at building momentum.
Georgetown also did not force a single St. John’s turnover in the first half. As a result, the Hoyas were unable to get out in transition and had to settle into their half-court sets. Without McClung, who missed the game with a foot injury, attacking the rim, Georgetown’s half-court offense faltered. With the Hoyas also struggling to knock down open shots, this was not a recipe for success.
The start of the second half wasn’t much better. After LJ Figureoa body-checked Jamorko Pickett, apparently knocking the wind out of him, Pickett made a bee-line towards Figureoa on the other end of the court and tried to exchange some words. However, he was held back by Patrick Ewing and Terrell Allen, and after a lengthy review, Pickett was assessed a technical foul.
Later, Jagan Mosely got a tech of his own after a frustrating backcourt violation call after he tossed away the ball.
The Hoyas were down by as much as 17 in the second half, but slowly and surely, they began to chip away at St. John’s lead, led by the strong three-point shooting of Jahvon Blair and an active press defense. After failing to force a single turnover in the first half, the Hoyas turned the Johnnies over 12 times in the second half.
Another key aspect of the Georgetown comeback was the play of Omer Yurtseven. Yurtseven had a rough first half, going 1/6 from the field for a total of three points. However, he gathered 11 rebounds by halftime, and more strong play was in store. Yurtseven went a perfect 5/5 in the second half, including hitting the game winning layup with ten seconds left to give the Hoyas the lead and ultimately the victory.
Despite the fact that only five Hoyas logged double-digit minutes, it was St. John’s who ultimately ran out of steam.
While this may go down in history as the Jahvon Blair game, it was Yurtseven and Mosely who gave the Hoyas the edge in the game’s defining moments. Mosely hit two big shots to cut the deficit to one each time over the game’s final four and a half minutes. However, L.J. Figueroa hit a jumper to put the Johnnies up three with under two minutes to go, the situation looked bleak.
The Hoyas did not back down. Yurtseven hit a turn-around jumper to once again cut the lead to one and Georgetown followed it up with another big stop defensively. With 20 seconds to play and the ball, the game was in Georgetown’s hands. In this case, a video is worth a thousand words.
Hoya fans knew that the game was not over yet. St. John’s had one last chance to tie it, but a final turnover from the Johnnies sealed the deal and the celebration was on for Georgetown.
With McClung sidelined, getting a road win over the Johnnies was bound to be an uphill battle. After trailing for much of the game, this comeback is something to be proud of. The players showed a whole lotta heart, but we should also credit the Georgetown coaching staff for keeping the team locked in when things could have gotten out of hand.
As for where this leaves the Hoyas, that remains to be seen. An emotional win like this one certainly has the potential to change the course of Georgetown’s season. Patrick Ewing certainly thinks so. “To me, this is a season-defining win,” he said after the victory.
For now, it’s time to soak in today’s comeback win, and take each game one at a time.
