The Red Storm missed another opportunity to pick up a good win for their résumé, finishing their Bahamas trip with a 1-2 record
After Thursday’s heartbreaking defeat to a great Baylor team and Friday’s leisurely rout over a less-than-good Virginia team, St. John’s had the opportunity to finish with one more win before they left the Bahamas when they matched up with Georgia.
Despite Georgia committing 24 turnovers and having three starters foul out, St. John’s frustratingly squandered Sunday’s game, losing to the Bulldogs by a score of 66-63.
In a cruel twist of irony, free throw shooting was not the Red Storm’s problem on Sunday, as they shot 82 percent (23-of-28) from the line. Zuby Ejiofor’s 22-point, eight-rebound performance was one of the bright spots for the Red Storm, as the co-captain went 12-of-13 from the line.
It was a completely different story when the ball was in play. St. John’s had one of their worst shooting performances from the field in recent memory, shooting 31.1 percent overall and a skin-crawling 2-of-19 from three-point range. Aaron Scott made their only two triples, and he went 2-of-11 from deep. Kadary Richmond, Simeon Wilcher, and Deivon Smith each had only one basket and combined to shoot 3-of-21 (14.2%).
More concerningly, Georgia outworked St. John’s for loose balls and rebounds frequently. The Bulldogs won the rebound battle, 37-34, and forced several held-ball calls, with the Johnnies looking shaky and unassertive when trying to get their hands on the ball.
The Red Storm also lost their composure throughout the game. Four of the Red Storm’s nine second-half turnovers came within the final five minutes, and two came in the final minute of play when it was a one-possession game.
This type of loss won’t kill St. John’s, as Georgia looks primed to take the next step in Mike White’s third season leading the program, but it’s a game they needed to bulk up their out-of-conference tournament résumé, which becomes more critical after the Big East’s disappointing start to the season.
St. John’s only has one win over a top-100 KenPom opponent: the 53rd-ranked New Mexico Lobos on their home floor. Their next opportunity for such a win comes against 72nd-ranked Kansas State on December 7, who lost against Liberty on a neutral court on Sunday night.
Before that game against the Wildcats, St. John’s will return to action after a six-day break on Saturday, November 30 when they face Harvard at Carnesecca Arena (6:30 p.m., Peacock).