Red Storm lose the first MSG game of the 15-16 season

Four St. John’s players scored double-figures, but the Red Storm were still defeated by Georgetown, 93-73, Wednesday, at Madison Square Garden.

Ron Mvouika scored a team-high 15 points and shot 6-of-7 from the floor, including a 2-of-2 mark from distance. Amar Alibegovic put up 12 points, while Federico Mussini added 11-points, along with 10 points from Durand Johnson.

D’Vauntes Smith Rivera, of Georgetown, made 5-of-8 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 33 points. Reggie Cameron scored 15 points, while Tre Campbell added 12 for the Hoyas. Georgetown shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) from the floor and made 27-of-33 free throws (81.8 percent).

The Hoyas scored the first five points before Mussini scored 3s on back-to-back possessions and St. John’s trailed 9-6 at the 16:57 mark. Malik Ellison added a layup and then went 1-of-2 at the line as the two freshmen combined to score the first nine points for the Red Storm.

St. John’s only trailed by four after Alibegovic made a pair of free throws with 11:15 to play, but two 3s from Cameron 3s and a Campbell trey helped give the Hoyas a 16-3 run and opened up a 17-point lead (35-18).

Georgetown took a 45-28 advantage at the half. Cameron claimed three of the Hoyas’ five first half 3s and matched Smith-Rivera with 13 points.

The Red Storm shot 50.0 percent (13-of-26) in the second half but fell behind by 27 before going on a 14-1 run to cut the deficit to 85-71. Mvouika scored nine of his 15 points during the come back.

Freshman forward Kassoum Yakwe scored five points and had eight rebounds in his second-straight start. Yakwe also blocked three shots to increase his BIG EAST leading total to 13 blocks in conference play. Felix Balamou and Ellison each had eight points as St. John’s lost its first game of the season at Madison Square Garden.

St. John’s returns to action on Saturday when they visits No. 23/23 Butler at noon airing on FS1.