Home College BasketBall St. John’s Stages Comeback to Defeat Georgetown 63-58 at Madison Square Garden

St. John’s Stages Comeback to Defeat Georgetown 63-58 at Madison Square Garden

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Courtesy Of The St. John's Athletic Communications

New York, NY—St. John’s (15-3, 6-1) rallied from a 14-point deficit to secure a hard-fought 63-58 victory over Georgetown (12-5, 3-3) on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden in front of an announced crowd of 12,757 fans.

RJ Luis Jr. led the way for the Johnnies, finishing with 19 points, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. Aaron Scott contributed a strong all-around performance with 14 points and 9 boards, providing a key spark in the second half.

Georgetown came out strong to start the game, jumping to an early 8-2 lead at the 15:21 mark. The Hoyas continued to extend their advantage, pushing the lead to 10 points at 12:27 with a layup from Malik Mack, making it 13-3.

“For St. John’s not to be ranked, I don’t know who some of these voters are, [but] you’re blind. Wake up,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “That’s one of the best teams we’ve played all year. Anyone behind that iron mic who has a vote, wake your ass up.”

Georgetown’s offense continued to roll, building a 14-point lead by the 5:03 mark in the first half, going up 29-15. The Hoyas took a 37-27 lead into halftime, shooting 50% (15-30) from the floor. Micah Peavy led Georgetown with 11 points, while Curtis Williams chipped in 9.

The Johnnies struggled on the glass in the first half, getting outrebounded 26-10, but made adjustments in the second half that sparked their comeback. St. John’s spread the floor, found their rhythm offensively, and started hitting crucial shots. The game took a turn when Aaron Scott drained a three-pointer from the left corner to give St. John’s a 44-43 lead at the 12:54 mark.

Courtesy Of The St. John’s Athletic Communications

St. John’s went on two impressive scoring runs — an 11-0 run and a 14-0 run — to keep Georgetown at bay and control the momentum. Key defensive plays sealed the win for the Johnnies, including two crucial blocks. Kadary Richmond and Aaron Scott both had standout defensive moments that helped ice the game.

Micah Peavy led Georgetown with 21 points, while Malik Mack poured in 13, but it wasn’t enough to withstand the Johnnies’ second-half surge.

With the win, St. John’s showed resilience and determination, overcoming an early deficit to secure a hard-earned victory on their home floor.

“Being in New York City and playing well and winning, you get the whole New York City to back you and that’s kind of what’s happening right now,” sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher said. “We’re really excited for the rest of the season, just to see the things that we can do.”