LINKS: St. John’s, Ponds Pressure Hoyas to OT, Victory

After thirteen iterations of home victories against the St. John’s Red Storm (14-1, 2-1), the Georgetown Hoyas (11-4, 1-1) lost an overtime heartbreaker against the “Johnnies” at Capital One Arena. With another loss featuring a blown lead and late game turnovers, it may be tough to stay optimistic about Georgetown’s competitiveness in the conference.

However, considering the high level that Shamorie Ponds and the rest of Chris Mullin’s squad have been playing, perhaps this loss—as badly as Hoya-twitter were taking yet another late-game fumble—is not as bad as it felt. Perhaps Georgetown lost to a soon-to-be-recognized top 25 team as part of some sort of karmic retribution for the blown call of the Seton Hall game? Maybe.

If that concept doesn’t make Georgetown fans feel better, maybe the other articles below relaying Ponds’ comments about losing these types of games in the past can provide hope to the Hoya faithful. The New York media appears to frame St. John’s ending of their D.C. drought as both complementary to their solid home victory against a ranked Marquette and a direct result of the Johnnies’ multi-season perseverance. Sure.

Still not happy? Point to Mac McClung’s injury and Georgetown’s need for another ball-handler as a key reason the Hoyas appear to be stuck recreating mistakes of yesteryear. Even if a fifth-year’s extended presence boosts the efficiency of offensive sets, having an additional quick guard could have helped move the ball against pressure. Or maybe more turnovers.

Nevertheless, if St. John’s does succeed this year, it’s a remarkable story for the Red Storm, as well as the whole Big East—and a story to share with other developing programs featuring talented freshmen and sophomores who are learning through some tough losses. Hopefully.

Here are the links:

Hoyas Drop Overtime Heartbreaker to St. John’s | GUHOYAS

In front of an announced crowd of 11,115, the overtime frame opened with a 9-1 run for the Johnnies but the Hoyas didn’t go away as Jessie Govan (Queens Village, N.Y. / Wings Academy) found an opening on the right side, drained a 3-pointer and drew the foul to pull within five 94-89. He made his free throw to make it a four-point game...

Govan led all Hoyas with 25 points to go with 10 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year while Josh LeBlanc (Baton Rouge, La. / Madison Prep Academy) recorded his fourth double-double on 12 points and a team-leading 13 boards. James Akinjo (Oakland, Calif. / Salesian College Preparatory) added 17 while Jamorko Pickett (Washington, D.C. / Massanutten Military Academy [Va.]) and Malinowski each chipped in 13 to round out those in double figures. Malinowski paced the offense with seven assists while Pickett led the squad with three blocks. Georgetown shot 41.4 percent (29 of 70) from the field and outrebounded the Johnnies 47-32.

Georgetown drops ball late and St. John’s capitalizes to extend its rebound season | WASHINGTONPOST

“We’ve got to just play,” Ewing said in lamenting the missed opportunity against a Big East contender and ending a four-game winning streak. “Everyone wants to just do it themselves instead of just moving the ball and making the right plays.” ...

The Red Storm shined in pressure moments, while the Hoyas failed to finish the job again. [] A month ago at Syracuse, they committed a turnover with 11 seconds left and conceded the winning basket with three ticks remaining. “We’ve been in close games,” Ewing said. “We just have to find a way to close out the game.”

He did not make any players available to comment.

St. John’s Wins at Georgetown for First Time Since 2003 | NYTIMES

Shamorie Ponds made six 3-pointers and had 37 points and 5 assists as St. John’s beat Georgetown, 97-94, in overtime on Saturday afternoon, ending a 13-game losing streak against the Hoyas in Washington. The Red Storm had lost 13 consecutive games at Georgetown. Their last win there was on Jan. 18, 2003.

St. John’s started overtime on a 7-1 run, and Ponds made one of two free throws with 23 seconds left for a 97-94 lead. Georgetown had two looks at a potential tying 3-pointer, but James Akinjo did not hit the rim, and Jahvon Blair’s open shot from the wing bounced out.

St. John’s wins at Georgetown, 97-94, in an overtime thriller | RUMBLEINTHEGARDEN

Georgetown, blessed with size and execution, came back.

Riding a strong effort moving the ball, the Hoyas led by as many as 11 in a game that ultimately had 11 ties and 11 lead changes. Patrick Ewing’s Hoyas maintained control, slowing the pace and working the ball through the paint, through the powerful Jessie Govan and Josh LeBlanc.

Shamorie Ponds fought back, often driving on two Georgetown defenders at a time. But after he fouled James Akinjo, the freshman Hoya point guard’s free throws gave Georgetown a lead they seemed like they would never relinquish.

NB: if you drive on two Georgetown defenders, you at least double the chance that you’ll be fouled.

Ponds Shoots St. John’s to Victory in DC | BIGEASTCOASTBIAS

The difference in moods was obvious, as the Johnnies excitedly rushed to their bench in jubilation while the Hoyas, appearing stunned, walked toward their bench. That Red Storm energy translated into early overtime success, as two alley-oops and a three-pointer saw St. John’s take an eight-point lead within two minutes...

The Hoyas fouled Ponds to stop the clock, and the junior split the pair to give Georgetown a glimmer of hope. But the hosts couldn’t connect on either of their two three-point attempts at the end of the period, and St. John’s secured its first win in the nation’s capital since 2003.

Ponds’ 37-point performance was just his second-ever 30+ point outburst in a true road game in his career, with the other also coming at Georgetown last season.

St. John’s made statement vs. Georgetown: We are for real | NYPOST

You make an impossible-to-believe-until-you-see-it-on-the-replay steal, as Shamorie Ponds did with 79 seconds left in overtime, swiping a would-be alley-oop pass out of the air with one hand — read those last words again; that really happened — before tossing the ball ahead to Justin Simon for the dunk that finally seemed to still Georgetown’s heart...

It wasn’t just that they headed home late Saturday with a satisfying 97-94 win over their fiercest and most ancient rival, or that they ended a 16-year dry spell by beating the Hoyas in the nation’s capital...

“We’ve lost games like this in the past,” said Ponds, who proved again why he may be as essential a player to his team’s success as any in the country.

Shamorie Ponds puts up 37 points, leads St John’s to overtime win at Georgetown | NEWSDAY

St. John’s had suffered through more than a decade of misery against archrival Georgetown in the nation’s capital, but it wasn’t going to let the ghosts of failures past haunt it this time...

“Last year we kind of [went] down this road and we’d lose these games,” Ponds said. “We told ourselves it’s time to fight it out, overcome everything and get the win.” ...

St. John’s overtime win at Georgetown should also net a spot in nation’s Top 25 rankings | NEWSDAY

St. John’s should be a perfect 15-0. And were it not for the atrocious whistle that negated the Red Storm’s game-winning defensive play against Seton Hall last Saturday and inexplicably gave the Pirates a second chance for a game-winning basket (that they made) in the final seconds, it would be...

In an event that can only be attributed to karma paying a debt, LJ Figueroa was the central figure in the play Saturday that opened the door to the Red Storm’s win. The 6-7 forward is the player who deflected the inbounds pass at the end of the Seton Hall game, saved it from going out of bounds and got it to Mustapha Heron for what should have been the final second.

Against the Hoyas, he came up with a steal with 12 seconds left in regulation. Then the 57-percent free-throw shooter hit two with 11.3 seconds left in regulation to tie it at 85 and send the game to overtime.

Men’s Basketball Drops to 1-1 in Big East with Overtime Loss to St. John’s | GEORGETOWNVOICE

The Hoyas looked inside early and often against an undersized St. John’s frontcourt, with senior guard Greg Malinowski assisting freshman forward Josh LeBlanc and Govan for the Hoyas’ first two baskets...

The Red Storm responded, predictably, through Ponds, who hit three 3-pointers to cut the Hoyas’ lead to five, despite generally tough coverage from junior guard Jagan Mosely and freshman guard James Akinjo. Neither team looked particularly convincing on defense, but especially the Hoyas, who were undone by 52.2 percent shooting from their opponents on the afternoon. GU trailed by three, 42-39, at the break, with Govan already chalked up for 10 points and Ponds for 16.