PHILADELPHIA \u2014 The root of this St. John\u2019s statement, here in a packed Xfinity Mobile Arena on Saturday night against a revived Villanova team, took shape two weeks ago, when the Johnnies left the Garden with what Bryce Hopkins described as a \u201cbad taste in all our mouths\u201d and a type of pain they never wanted to feel again.<\/p>\n
Three convincing wins \u2014 all by double digits \u2014 that followed the disappointing loss to Providence helped. This one was more gradual. It had to be. <\/p>\n
Villanova served as a step up for St. John\u2019s in the Big East, and after taking nearly the entire game to pull away, after a 17-point lead early in the second half was nearly erased by the game\u2019s final minutes, the Red Storm escaped with an 86-79 victory over the Wildcats to enter Tuesday\u2019s showdown against Seton Hall in sole possession of second place in the conference. <\/p>\n
Hopkins led St. John\u2019s with 22 points and Ian Jackson contributed 18 on a season-best seven field goals. Tyler Perkins and Devin Askew paced Villanova with 23 and 21, respectively, and helped the Wildcats overcome 14 turnovers with clutch shots down the stretch.<\/p>\n
And against his former mentee and assistant, Rick Pitino earned his seventh win in eight matchups against Kevin Willard.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels good,\u201d Hopkins said of moving into second place, \u201cbut the job\u2019s not finished. Our eye is on a bigger goal, and we have to keep preparing at a high level no matter who our opponent is.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acaden Lewis goes up for a layup as Bryce Hopkins defends during the first half of St. John\u2019s 86-79 win over Philadelphia on Jan. 17, 2025 in Philadelphia. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Just when it seemed as if St. John\u2019s eight-point lead with two minutes remaining had reached an insurmountable point, the Wildcats found a way to chip away. Askew hit a corner 3 to send the crowd into a frenzy as St. John\u2019s called timeout. Joson Sanon missed a shot from behind the arc, but Askew couldn\u2019t hit a layup at the other end, forward Matt Hodge fouled Hopkins on the rebound and his two free throws brought the lead back to seven. That, finally, was enough for the Johnnies.<\/p>\n
St. John\u2019s could only construct a lead as large as seven in the first half, and even after they assembled that, Villanova pulled within 36-35 by halftime. <\/p>\n
CHECK OUT THE LATEST BIG EAST STANDINGS<\/a> AND ST. JOHN\u2019S STATS<\/a><\/p>\n St. John\u2019s had only made one 3-pointer. Oziyah Sellers, four days after pouring in 24 points, was held scoreless through the opening 20 minutes. Jackson became an unlikely source of offense.<\/p>\n Then, early in the second half, the Johnnies offense started to click, scoring on 12 of their first 13 possessions. <\/p>\n St. John\u2019s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino reacts to a play against the Villanova Wildcats. Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/p>\n