Red Storm’s 11-game win streak snapped
In a David vs. Goliath contest, the Georgetown Hoyas just barely upended the Big East’s most talented team.
The Hoyas upset No. 22 St. John’s Tuesday 60-57 in Washington. Georgetown improved to 3-12 with the victory, while the Red Storm, still one game ahead of DePaul for first place, slipped to 12-2.
It was Georgetown’s first win against a ranked opponent since November 2012. The Red Storm committed 20 turnovers and shot a measly 36.5 percent from the field.
It seems, however, that it is too little, too late for Georgetown. Although St. John’s is ranked 12th in the most recent RPI poll, Georgetown simply lost too many winnable games to even be considered for any postseason appearances. The Hoyas sit in ninth place after being predicted by Big East coaches to finish sixth.
St. John’s will need to get back on the right track when it travels to battle 10-4 Creighton Sunday. The Bluejays won three of their last four games and are certainly in the hunt to snatch the top overall seed from the Red Storm.
Marquette earns impressive win against DePaul
This season has been a monumental turnaround for Marquette, which moved to 9-5 after an 80-74 win against DePaul Tuesday. The Blue Demons could have tied St. John’s for first place with a win. Marquette’s many scoring options out-dueled DePaul’s; five Golden Eagles scored in double digits, with junior Arlesia Morse’s 17 points leading the way.
Marquette outrebounded the Blue Demons 53-35 and overcame 21 turnovers to eke out the win.
Senior Katherine Plouffe is on a remarkable tear this season and again demonstrated her post dominance with a 14-point, 12-rebound effort. Plouffe averages 17.2 points and 9.5 boards per game this year.
The Golden Eagles must be thankful for having a much healthier season than last year, which played a pivotal role in their 7-9 Big East performance. The team has a chance to pick up two more resume-boosting victories when it plays at St. John’s next Wednesday and hosts Creighton March 1.
Player of the Week
Natalie Butler – Freshman – Center – Georgetown
Freshman Natalie Butler has not had her share of the spotlight due to Georgetown’s less-than-successful season, but her achievements last week speak plenty about her potential.
The freshman averaged 11.7 points and 13.7 rebounds in her team’s three games as the Hoyas finished the week 1-2.
Butler averages 14.4 points and 13.2 rebounds per game overall while shooting 49.7 percent from the field. She recently broke the program’s record for rebounds in a season, and was named the Big East’s Rookie of the Week an incredible 10 times. Georgetown has a special talent in Butler, who has tremendous upside and will undoubtedly be one of the Big East’s premiere players in the coming years.
Game of the Week
St. John’s at Creighton – Sunday – 2 p.m. CST
The concern for St. John’s will be how it responds to a heartbreaking upset loss to lowly Georgetown. The Red Storm has been shooting the ball well all season (44 percent) while holding opponents to under 39 percent. St. John’s found great success despite averaging less than four three-pointers per game.
Creighton averages 7.8 three-pointers per contest, and with the Red Storm surrendering only 3.6 long balls per game, an interesting battle on the perimeter will take place.
The Bluejays are in third-place in the Big East, and a win against first-place St. John’s will strengthen their tournament hopes and put them in a better position for the Big East Tournament.
