St. John’s improves to 14-1 with overtime win at Georgetown

Shamorie Ponds went for 37 points, 5 assists and 3 rebounds as St. John’s improved to 14-1 with a 97-94 overtime win at Georgetown on Saturday.

The Johnnies outscored the Hoyas 12-9 in the extra period to snap a 13-game losing streak at Georgetown.

The win came on Lou Carnesecca’s 94th birthday.

“It was nice,” St. John’s coach Chris Mulin said. “I talked to [Coach Carnesecca] before the game and that’s all he wanted, to win against Georgetown, so I’m glad that happened for him. I think there’s tremendous excitement, optimism, and a good feeling. I think it’s great that our fanbase has watched us throughout. They watched us struggle, improve, and now watch them have success. It’s a genuine and authentic way to go about it.”

St. John’s hadn’t won in Washington, D.C. since 2003.

“We were definitely aware of it,” Ponds said. “We talked about it after we got the win. We fought and came out with a win.”

All five Red Storm starters scored in double-figures, with Justin Simon adding 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists, Mustapha Heron scoring 12 points and L.J. Figueroa and Marvin Clark scoring 11 apiece.

The highlight of the game came when Ponds intercepted a lob pass in overtime, passed the ball upcourt and Figueroa fed Simon for a dunk making it 96-90.

SLICK WITH THE STEAL!! What an effort! #SJUBB pic.twitter.com/K6Tc4BYFb3

— St. John’s BBall (@StJohnsBBall) January 5, 2019

The Johnnies will get another huge test at defending NCAA champion Villanova on Tuesday.

“We’re coming in with a mindset that we have had all season of just go 1-0 every game,” Figueroa said. “Focus on the game and finish the task at hand. It’s going to be a great environment. We beat [Villanova] last year and we’re expecting the crowd to be crazy. Those guys are ready to play and are going to bring it.”

For more, read my New York Times feature on St. John’s here.

No Shutdown For Ponds In DC Today

3⃣7⃣ Points for @ShamorieP in the @StJohnsBBall W#BIGEASThoops pic.twitter.com/ltMkZCnADJ

— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) January 5, 2019

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