If there was any lingering doubt that the Red Storm were a serious Big East contender, that was laid to rest on Saturday night. St. John’s bested Villanova on the road by a score of 86-79 to claim their fourth straight victory and sole possession of second place in the conference.
After a back-and-forth first half in which St. John’s closed with a narrow 36-35 advantage, the Red Storm blitzed Villanova with a 13-0 run early in the second half to build their largest lead of the game of 56-39.
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Ian Jackson was the sharpest he’s been this season, particularly during this pivotal run out of halftime in which he contributed seven of his 18 points (7-of-12 shooting) and his only three-pointer of the night on a step-back jumper that further tilted the momentum toward St. John’s.
Although guards Devin Askew, Tyler Perkins, and Bryce Lindsay tried to spark a rally for the Wildcats, combining for 37 of their team’s 44 second-half points and cutting their deficit down to five points at one point, the Johnnies withstood the pressure and closed it out down the stretch.
Joson Sanon had been a passenger on the struggle bus for the past few games and only scored six points on Saturday, but they were a massive half-dozen points. In the final eight minutes, Sanon drained two critical treys that put St. John’s ahead by double-digits each time and prevented the Wildcats from sustaining their momentum.
Zuby Ejiofor compensated for missing five free throws in the second half by delivering the killing blow to the Wildcats’ comeback attempt, rolling to the basket and scoring a layup that put the Red Storm ahead by seven points with 33 seconds remaining. The Red Storm’s star big man tallied 17 points and seven rebounds in a season-high 37 minutes played.
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Alongside Ejiofor, Bryce Hopkins and Dillon Mitchell worked in sync once again in the recently formed three-man frontcourt. Hopkins eclipsed the 20-point mark for a third time this season and recorded six rebounds. Mitchell recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The trio frustrated the opposing frontcourt of Duke Brennan and Matt Hodge, holding them to a combined 13 points and forcing both players into foul trouble.
The Red Storm will look for their fifth straight win when they welcome the No. 25 Seton Hall Pirates (14-4, 4-3 Big East) to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1.
