COL BKB: Georgetown 66, St. John's 59

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Chris Wright scored 21 points Thursday and No. 13 Georgetown pulled away late for a 66-59 victory over St. John's.

The Red Storm held a one-point lead with 8:30 to go but St. John's then missed seven straight shots while Georgetown was taking a six-point advantage.

Wright made 7-of-11 from the field as part of a 51 percent shooting performance by the Hoyas.

The game was the Big East Conference opener for both teams.

Georgetown (10-1) got 15 points each from Austin Freeman and Greg Monroe. The Hoyas held St. John's to two field goals over the final 8 minutes.

St. John's (10-3) was led by Dwight Hardy with 14 points. The Red Storm had won four of its previous five games.

Georgetown did not get a point from its bench. St. John's bench players scored 33 points.