St. John's Needing to Overcome Inconsistency

St. John's has struggled in the second half of games on multiple occasions this season, and much of its been due to a lack of depth, particularly on the offensive end.

The Red Storm are suffering from the loss of sixth man Daryll Hill, who will miss an indefinite amount of games over the next four-to-six weeks while rehabbing a surgically-repaired left knee.

St. John's shot only 32.1 percent from the field in its 72-46 disheartening loss to then-No. 7 Pitt and against Big East foe Georgetown, the Johnnies made only 8-of-25 attempts in the second half of a 72-48 blowout at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 1.

"Give Georgetown a lot of credit," St. John's coach Norm Roberts said after the game. "They really played well in the second half and shot the ball well. We didn't do a good job of guarding...We didn't do a good job on the glass."

Lamont Hamilton, St. John's go-to player, was limited to just 9 points and no rebounds before fouling out with 8:39 remaining in the game.

"The situation that will help us in the future is when we get deep," Roberts remarked. "When we have enough talent-right now we're not as talented as the other teams...We gotta be tough and things have to go our way."

With junior center Roy Hibbert neutralized by St. John's 2-3 zone, Jeff Green exploded for the Hoyas, dropping in a game-high 24 points, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing four assists.

"As the year progresses, we hope to get better and we have gotten better," Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. "We can still improve. We are not a lot different than other teams.

"Hopefully, on both ends of the floor, we can continue to improve because there is still time to get better."

Green, a 6-9 forward from Hyattsville, Md., came into the contest versus the Red Storm averaging 12.1 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

"He's one of the best players in America," Roberts said of Green. "He can shoot the three, he can rebound it, he can put it on the floor. He's a terrific basketball player."

Jon Wallace contributed 13 points in 33 minutes of action as the Hoyas used a 10-0 run to open the second half and run away with the game.

Avery Patterson led the Red Storm with a team-high 16 points and eight rebounds as the only scorer in double figures for St. John's.

"We are young and immature in some spots," Roberts added. "We missed bunnies, we got bothered. Give them credit. They made shots. I don't think we responded to their run."

Legendary New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing was in attendance to watch his son Patrick play. The 6-8 junior forward went 2-for-4 from the field, stroking a smooth-looking three-pointer from the left wing to finish with 5 points, three rebounds, two steals and a block in 16 minutes.

"He can shoot very well," the elder Ewing said of his son. "I had a great career, and I just want the best for him...I'm proud of the kind of person that he is."

Added Roberts: "The tough thing for us is when Georgetown's a little bit off, they go get Patrick Ewing. When we're a little bit off, we can't do that. We just can't do that, so it makes it very, very tough."