It was ugly.
It was clunky.
It was, at times, equal parts frustrating and exasperating.
It was also classic 2024-25 St. John’s, because it ended with the Johnnies on the right side of the win column.
They have begun to master the art of winning ugly.
This 63-58 victory at the Garden over Georgetown certainly was not pretty.
St. John’s was without its engine, injured point guard Deivon Smith, and it showed.
They trailed by as many 14 points in each half, were held to four points in transition and shot 34.8 percent from the field.
But, again, St. John’s was the tougher team in winning time.
They got the necessary stops and made key plays on the offensive end.
And now they have improved to 6-1 in league play for the first time since 1998-99.
St. John’s hasn’t had a better start to a season through 18 games since it was 16-2 in 1985-86, and has now won 10 of its past 11 games.
Kadary Richmond and RJ Luis both delivered key baskets in the final 50 seconds and the Johnnies defense was at its best after halftime, holding Georgetown to 32.1 percent shooting and 21 points.
Luis had 19 points, Aaron Scott followed with 14 points, nine rebounds and three steals, and Richmond added 10 points and eight assists.
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Zuby Ejiofor notched 10 points and nine rebounds. Micah Peavy had 21 points for Georgetown.
The Johnnies dug themselves a major hole in the first half.
They came out lacking energy, couldn’t hit anything and trailed by as many as 14 points after missing 12 of their first 13 shots.
Georgetown crushed them on the glass in the opening 20 minutes and limited them to two fast-break points. Richmond was scoreless and Luis missed six of 10 shots.
There was a different urgency after the break.
The ball moved. The defense was stingy.
A 17-2 run flipped the game, turning a 14-point deficit into a 3-point lead.
Georgetown did answer with seven straight points to take back the lead, but St. John’s responded with eight in a row to go up four with 4:31 left.
