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          New York Colleges

          Rapid Reaction: GTown 79, St. John's 57

          • Kieran Darcy, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 18, 2015, 02:36 AM
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              Kieran Darcy is an ESPN.com staff writer. He joined ESPN in August 2000 after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, where he played four years of JV basketball.
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          Some quick thoughts on St. John's 79-57 loss to Georgetown on Tuesday at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.:

          What it means: Welcome back to the bubble, St. John's fans.

          The Red Storm's three-game winning streak is over, they are back under .500 in the Big East and their NCAA tournament status is further in doubt. A loss at Georgetown isn't surprising; they've now lost 10 in a row there, their last win coming in 2003. But the fact that this one wasn't even close is disheartening.

          St. John's drops to 17-9 overall and 6-7 in the conference. Georgetown improves to 17-8 overall and 9-5 in the conference.

          The turning point: St. John's went in front early, leading by as many as four, 19-15. That's when Georgetown ratcheted up its defense, going on a 13-0 run and eventually taking a 33-23 halftime lead. The Red Storm went nearly nine minutes without a field goal to end the first half.

          Jabril Trawick drilled a 3-pointer to open the second-half scoring, making it 36-23, and the Hoyas' lead never slipped below 13 points the rest of the way. This one was as lopsided as the final score indicates.

          Star watch: For the third season in a row, D'Angelo Harrison was shut down in our nation's capital. Harrison entered the game averaging 19.1 points per game, but he was held to a season-low five points, shooting 0-for-9 from the field. It must be something about D.C., or, more likely, Georgetown's defense. Last season he scored just four points on 1-for-12 shooting. Two seasons ago he scored just two points on 0-for-9 shooting.

          Phil Greene IV (18 points) and Sir'Dominic Pointer 16) were the only two St. John's players in double figures. Rysheed Jordan also came up small with just three points (and five turnovers).

          Six Georgetown players finished in double figures, including all five starters.

          Number crunch: St. John's shot just 32.8 percent from the field (19-for-58) in the game. And defensively, the Red Storm had just three blocked shots. They entered the game fourth in Division I in blocks, averaging 6.7 per game.

          What's next: St. John's hosts Seton Hall on Saturday at noon, the final game of this regular season at Carnesecca Arena. The Pirates defeated the Red Storm earlier this season but will be missing their leading scorer, Sterling Gibbs.

          Georgetown hosts DePaul on Saturday at 8 p.m.