Something had to give, whether it was Notre Dame’s nine-game winning streak or St. John’s two-game roll. It took the full forty minutes to figure out which it would be.

After Amir Garrett (11 points) put St. John’s ahead by three with nine seconds left; Notre Dame had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but a three-point attempt from Alex Dragicevich bounced off the left rim to give the Red Storm (13-16, 6-10) a hard-earned 61-58 victory over the 18th-ranked Fighting Irish. (20-9, 12-4)

“Give a lot of credit to St. John’s,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said after the game. “We had a lot of good looks, but didn’t make enough of them.”

In addition to Garrett, St. John’s was led by Moe Harkless (22 points) and D’Angelo Harrison (15 points) for their third straight victory, which also extended a streak of wins over Notre Dame at Madison Square Garden that dates back to March of 2004, before former coach Norm Roberts was even hired.

St. John’s will now head to Pittsburgh with their slim NIT hopes still intact, and with a few lasting impressions from this afternoon’s matinee.

Lasting Impressions
– Moe Harkless picks up game ball honors, but he did not do it alone. Harkless and God’sgift Achiuwa were instrumental in containing the Notre Dame frontcourt through the opening half, and even in the first minutes of the second stanza.

– Notre Dame was defeated by their inability to hit the three-point shot that usually works well for them. For the game, the Fighting Irish missed 27 of the 31 trifectas they attempted, which allowed St. John’s to get a plus-7 defensive rebounding edge.

– Amir Garrett keeps improving on a nightly basis. Said his teammate Moe Harkless on the Los Angeles native: “When he gets going, it’s fun to watch.”

– Finally, each coach put the other over in their respective postgame press conferences, but no words made more of an impact than those spoken by Mike Brey in regard to the Red Storm. Below are some excerpts from the Notre Dame coach’s beliefs on St. John’s and their all-freshman lineup:

“The great thing about the St. John’s dynamic is that they play five freshmen and they start five freshmen because they only have six guys, and they all play 35 minutes a game. You’re only going to get better.”

“I think Mike Dunlap has done an unbelievable job. I can’t even relate to what he’s doing because I’ve always had seniors to lean on.”

The final contest at Carnesecca Arena this season proved to be a mirror image of the first encounter between the two teams nineteen days before, with one team establishing control midway through the first half before the other battled back and stole the game down the stretch.

Led by 23 points from D’Angelo Harrison and a career-high 18 from fellow freshman Amir Garrett, St. John’s (12-16, 5-10) shook off DePaul’s late rally and sent the Blue Demons (11-16, 2-13) to their seventh straight defeat in a 79-72 decision on the Queens campus.

“It was a quick turnaround in 48 hours,” assistant coach Mike Dunlap stated after the game, the second for the Red Storm in three days after defeating UCLA this past Saturday. “We took care of the ball against a pressing team and were scrappier in the second half.”

After giving up 94 points to Seton Hall last Tuesday, the Red Storm have now won two straight as they look to keep their slim hopes for a first-round bye in the Big East tournament alive, and next up will be a Notre Dame team that has defied expectations in the absence of star forward Tim Abromaitis.

Before the collision with the Fighting Irish, however, we wrap up a Monday night in Queens with a few lasting impressions.

Lasting Impressions
– Amir Garrett picks up game ball honors with an aggressive 18-point outing. When asked about his adaptation into the lineup, the freshman admitted he still was not up to speed with the rest of the team. “I’m still catching up,” said Garrett. “They’re flying down the court and I’m like ‘Hey, wait for me!'”

– The increased trips to the foul line were crucial for both teams, but more so for the young and undermanned Red Storm. “We got chances to rest,” said Mike Dunlap on the blown whistles. “Every time they fouled, it was like a timeout.”

– As expected, Brandon Young (17 points) had several opportunities to contribute for DePaul. However, fellow sophomore Cleveland Melvin made more of an impact for the Blue Demons with an 18-point, 15-rebound performance that gets lost in the shuffle considering how effective St. John’s was in closing out the game.

– Finally, there is some optimism around St. John’s. With Notre Dame; who has not beaten the Red Storm in Madison Square Garden in several years, up next, St. John’s can still consider themselves in consideration for an NIT bid. After Notre Dame, next up are a Pittsburgh team that is 4-11 in Big East play and Rutgers, who has been inconsistent through most of the year. However, St. John’s would still need to win their first two Big East tournament games to get over .500 and have a shot at the postseason.

Playing for the first time since a demoralizing 22-point defeat at the hands of Cincinnati, St. John’s found themselves in a game they could have won. Unfortunately for them, they once again ran into a better team.

Another afternoon of 20-point performances from D’Angelo Harrison (24 points) and Moe Harkless (20 points) was not enough for the Red Storm (10-15, 4-9) as they fell to 11th-ranked Georgetown (19-5, 9-4) by the final of 71-61.

“We really took a step forward after our last two games,” assistant coach Mike Dunlap said after the game. “When we got it down to one possession, we just couldn’t level the score. We needed to make a shot and we couldn’t do it.”

St. John’s faces a short turnaround after this game with a Tuesday night collision with Seton Hall, and our lasting impressions will help put a wrap on a positive showing in our nation’s capital.

Lasting Impressions
– First and foremost, the Red Storm’s ball control was the best it has been all season. In what was a clean game all around, St. John’s committed only six turnovers in what served as their second-fewest total on the year.

– The Red Storm were knocking on the door several times, but a turnover in the closing minutes led to a three-pointer from Georgetown guard Jason Clark that ultimately iced it for the Hoyas.

– When previewing this game, it was noted that St. John’s plays better as a unit when the Red Storm has nothing to lose. Today was no exception, as hardly anyone gave St. John’s a fair shot on the road against the No. 11 team in the nation. The Red Storm responded by keeping the outcome of the game in doubt until the aforementioned Clark three gave Georgetown enough of a cushion to clinch the win.

– Finally, D’Angelo Harrison picks up game ball honors for this one. Although he may be the streakiest of the six scholarship student-athletes on the roster, Harrison continued his surge with 24 points to eclipse the 20-marker plateau for the fifth time in his last seven games. When Harrison is able to score as easily as Moe Harkless, the Red Storm cannot be counted out of any contest.