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.

The debate over which school truly is New York’s college team is settled, if only for one more year.

Fueled by an impressive performance on both ends of the floor, No. 2 Syracuse (23-1, 10-1) took control midway through the first half and never looked back in a 95-70 rout of St. John’s (10-13, 4-7) at Madison Square Garden. Five players scored in double figures for the Orange, led by 14 points each from Fab Melo, Dion Waiters and C.J. Fair. Kris Joseph and freshman Michael Carter-Williams chipped in with thirteen each on a day where Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim moved into a third-place tie on the all-time wins list, joining Hall of Famer Dean Smith with 879 career victories.

“I thought we did a better job on the boards than we had been,” said Boeheim after the game. “I thought one thing we did well in the second half was pass the ball. Our ball movement was good the whole game.”

Despite the crushing defeat, St. John’s got a game-high 23 points from D’Angelo Harrison and some praise from the opposing coach.

“I’m impressed with the way St. John’s has played with so many young guys,” Boeheim said. “I don’t know how you can do that with five freshmen. I think what they’ve done is extraordinary.”

St. John’s remains in midtown Manhattan for their next game, a back end of a home-and-home series with Cincinnati. In the meantime, here is a look at the lasting impressions from today’s battle for Empire State bragging rights.

Lasting Impressions
– St. John’s simply ran into a buzzsaw against Syracuse this afternoon, and there is no getting around it. Once the Orange recovered from an early 7-2 deficit by going on a 10-0 run that gave them the lead for good, the second-ranked team in the nation put on a show for a largely partisan Syracuse crowd in what amounted to a de facto home game that ultimately sold out at the box office.

– It seems as though D’Angelo Harrison has regained his shooting touch after games against Marquette and USF where he was severely limited. Harrison is really starting to resemble last year’s hero Dwight Hardy both in on-court performance and quiet confidence, which he backed up today with 23 points.

– The evolution of Phil Greene at point guard has been a critical factor in the Red Storm’s success. Greene only has two more wins than Nurideen Lindsey, but enjoyed another solid night with 12 points and only two turnovers.

– Finally, no one man deserved the game ball all for themselves, so it will be shared among two Syracuse players: senior forward Kris Joseph (13 points and 8 rebounds) and freshman guard Michael Carter-Williams, whose career high of 13 came with three three-pointers and a sweet second-half slam that was one of many "icing on the cake" moments for Syracuse this afternoon.

Although it was a loss, one could make a valid case for today serving as the most inspiring game of St. John’s basketball that has been played all season.

Three days removed from a wire-to-wire win over West Virginia, the Red Storm (9-12) gave a valiant effort in an 83-76 loss to sixth-ranked Duke (18-3) at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was a game of runs, as Duke turned a slim three-point lead into a 20-point advantage with a 20-3 spurt in the first half, but also one in which a talented freshman made himself a household name to all those who still doubted his abilities.

After his 23-point, 13-rebound outing against West Virginia Wednesday night, Moe Harkless matched his rebound total from the previous game and exploded for 30 points against the 2010 national champion Blue Devils. The offensive eruption was just two points short of Harkless’ career high of 32, set on December 27th against Providence.

“I wanted to win the game,” said Harkless after a game in which he was visibly more passionate on the court than at any other point in his young career. “Coach [Mike Dunlap] told us how much he respects Duke, but he always wants to beat them, so he kind of put that in our heads. This one was personal.”

D’Angelo Harrison, who scored 21 points in his own right, said of Harkless’ contributions: “I think he grew up today.”

Harkless and St. John’s next take their road show to Chicago for a Wednesday evening clash with DePaul, but before they do that, here are some lasting impressions to chew on in the wake of a team that showed more than just hope for the future.

Lasting Impressions
– Moe Harkless gets the game ball, and there is no question about it. The freshman’s 30-point, 13-rebound outing makes him the first-ever St. John’s player to reach the 30-point plateau in Durham, and he was equal parts aggressive and savvy in doing so. His first-half dunk that pulled St. John’s to within three and forced Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski to call a timeout in the first half was the highlight of his virtuoso performance. Harkless also becomes the second player in as many seasons to score 30 in multiple games, joining the great Dwight Hardy, who eclipsed that mark several times on the way to the NCAA Tournament one year ago. “I feel like we lost today,” said Krzyzewski after watching his Duke team let Harkless and the Red Storm back into the game during the second half.

– In addition to Harkless, D’Angelo Harrison added 21 points to continue a string of consistent efforts. The Texan has had problems with shot selection in recent games, but he was able to ignite a late Red Storm rally with several second-half threes.

– St. John’s has played back-to-back solid games against high-level competition for the first time this season. With DePaul up next, the Red Storm need to be mindful of the fact that the Blue Demons are just as good as anyone else, especially with Syracuse coming up a week from today at Madison Square Garden.

– Finally, Duke was able to survive on the way to their 94th consecutive nonconference home win. In a game where the Blue Devils led by as many as 22, Mason Plumlee proved his value with a 15-point, 17-rebound showing that may get overlooked in the box score, but turned out to be the game-saving effort considering Duke only shot 30 percent in the second half.

Returning to Madison Square Garden for the first time since coughing up a 10-point lead to Villanova, St. John’s did more than just exorcise their demons.

Tonight, they buried them.

Four Red Storm players scored in double figures as St. John’s (9-11, 3-6) snapped a four-game losing streak with a commanding 78-62 victory over West Virginia (15-6, 5-3) in a matchup that the Johnnies led by as many as 21. The Mountaineers did get 26 points and 14 rebounds from potential conference player of the year Kevin Jones in the losing effort.

“This is the first time we really closed out a game when the other team had a spurt,” said Moe Harkless, who led St. John’s with 23 points. Assistant coach Mike Dunlap, who is filling in for a recovering Steve Lavin, praised Harkless’ performance after the game, but bluntly stated that the freshman forward “has a long way to go” to be a complete player. “He’s versatile, but his tool box needs to be developed,” Dunlap remarked.

St. John’s was the last non-ACC team to win at Cameron Indoor Stadium; and they will have the chance to do it again this Saturday against Duke, but not before we leave you with some lasting impressions from Manhattan first.

Lasting Impressions
– Amir Garrett got his second career start tonight, and made the most of it. Although he played only 25 minutes, Garrett set career highs with eleven points and seven rebounds while facilitating numerous transition plays that vaulted the Red Storm to a 22-5 fast break disparity against West Virginia.

– In addition to Garrett, point guard Phil Greene continued his resurgence in what may very well have been his best performance of the season. The Chicago native scored eleven points and dished out eight assists; but most importantly, committed just one turnover.

– Tonight’s game ball goes to Moe Harkless. Playing the full forty minutes, the homegrown talent posted his second-highest point total of the year with 23 points. Harkless also grabbed 13 rebounds and had three blocked shots on a night where he was the most consistent offensive force for the Red Storm.

– Finally, St. John’s showed the counterpunching and resiliency that was the trademark of their magical run last season. West Virginia cut the St. John’s lead to nine points late in the second half, but the Red Storm responded by ending the game on a 10-3 run to close out a game in which they led wire-to-wire. “No game is ever safe,” said D’Angelo Harrison, who chipped in with 19 points. “You could be up by 25 and some team could come beat you.”