Throughout this season, Rick Pitino has maintained that Joson Sanon has the highest ceiling of all the Johnnies.
He showed a tantalizing glimpse of it Tuesday night.
With St. John’s flat most of the evening and Georgetown looking capable of pulling a stunning upset, Sanon tapped into some of that potential.
The sophomore scored all 15 of his points after halftime as the No. 18 Johnnies rallied from a 12-point deficit for a gritty 72-69 victory on Senior Night.
In his final home game, Zuby Ejiofor came up big down the stretch, and Dylan Darling was also instrumental as the Red Storm pulled into a first-place tie with fourth-ranked Connecticut atop the Big East with just one game to go.
On a night he didn’t have it, Bryce Hopkins hit two clutch free throws with 16.2 seconds left to push the lead to three and Caleb Williams missed the potential game-tying 3-pointer on the other end.
St. John’s (24-6, 16-2) outscored the Hoyas by 15 points over the final 14:08.
Darling gave St. John’s the lead for good with a steal and layup. Sanon followed with a jumper to make it a four-point game.
Georgetown did nearly tie it in the final seconds, but Jeremiah Williams missed the free throw after scoring on a drive, and Hopkins got the rebound.
Ejiofor led the way with 23 points, seven rebounds and five assists, Sanon had 15 and six rebounds, and Darling added 12 points, four steals and three assists.
Following the emotional senior day activities, St. John’s came out flat. Shots didn’t fall. The defense wasn’t there. There was a 5:01 scoring drought and at halftime, the Johnnies trailed the Hoyas 34-26.
They shot 35 percent in the first half, committed six turnovers and were hesitant as the shooting struggles continued.
Ejiofor scored 10 points and Darling had eight, but those were the lone bright spots.
The Red Storm didn’t manage a single point in transition and the halfcourt offense was stagnant. It was the exact opposite from Saturday, when St. John’s scored 48 points and led Villanova by 25 at the break.
It didn’t get better after halftime. Georgetown held a 12-point edge early in the second half, as St. John’s offensive woes continued.
Finally, the Johnnies got off the floor, sparked by an Ian Jackson three-point lead as part of a 9-2 burst. When Ejiofor completed a three-point play, the differential was two with 8:01 to go.