EDS: No. 6 Georgetown 74, St. John’s 42.
AP Photo NYFF101
By JIM O’CONNELL
AP Basketball Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -Sophomore reserve Vernon Macklin scored a career-high 18 points and No. 6 Georgetown handed St. John’s its worst Big East loss ever, 74-42 on Wednesday night.
The Hoyas (17-2, 7-1) entered the game leading the nation in field goal percentage defense (35.8) and they were fifth in points allowed (57.5), but their defensive effort wasn’t the reason for this blowout.
St. John’s (7-12, 1-7) had its worst shooting game in a season where it ranks next-to-last in the 16-team Big East at 42.2 percent. The Red Storm finished 10-for-47 from the field (21.3 percent) in losing their sixth straight overall and eighth in their last nine games.
St. John’s previous worst conference loss was also to the Hoyas, 72-42 on Jan. 6, 1982, also at Madison Square Garden.
Roy Hibbert added 11 points and Jessie Sapp had 10 for the Hoyas, who shot 52.8 percent (28-for-53) led by Macklin’s 8-for-10. Macklin’s previous career high was 10 in a loss at Pittsburgh on Jan. 14.
Justin Burrell and Anthony Mason Jr. both had nine points for the Red Storm, who finished 1-for-14 from 3-point range.
Georgetown led 41-14 after a first half that wasn’t that close. The Hoyas could have really poured it on except for a 6-for-13 effort from the free throw line that included Jonathan Wallace going 5-for-6.
It took the Red Storm 15:27 to get their first field goal. They missed their first 11 shots – and committed 12 turnovers – before Burrell’s bank shot cut Georgetown’s lead to 31-7.
St. John’s finished the half shooting 12.5 percent (2-for-16) led by Burrell’s 2-for-2. And in what would have been the cruelest of ironies after the 20 minutes the Red Storm had struggling from the field, Malik Boothe’s shot from just beyond halfcourt went in and out as the buzzer sounded.
The Hoyas opened the second half on a 12-0 run but the Red Storm managed their first goal a lot quicker than they did in the opening 20 minutes. Boothe’s layup 5:34 into the half brought St. John’s within 53-16. The Red Storm missed their first seven shots of the second half.
The biggest lead was 53-14 on a dunk by Patrick Ewing Jr. with 15 minutes to play.
Mike Cavataio made two free throws with 6 seconds left to get St. John’s within 29, but Bryon Jansen banked in a 3 at the buzzer to make it the Red Storm’s worst conference loss.
This was Georgetown’s fourth straight win in the series and the sixth in the last eight meetings. The Hoyas broke a tie in the Big East matchups between the two and they lead 28-27.
The last time St. John’s failed to score 40 points in a game was a 52-32 loss at Villanova on Feb. 13, 1963.
Mason was coming off consecutive 29-point games in losses to No. 18 Pittsburgh and Louisville.
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