Inside push helps Villanova stuff St. John’s
RADNOR » Villanova does have an inside game.
It’s not a traditional, post-up, back to the approach, but more of a slash and attack.
On a night when the 3-pointers weren’t falling, the Wildcats relied on their defense and ability to get to the rim to rally for a 7863 victory over St. John’s in their Big East opener Wednesday night at the Pavilion.
Defensively, Villanova (7-5 overall, 1-0 Big East) held the Red Storm to their second-lowest total of the season, 17 points under their season average of 80.9. Offensively, the Wildcats outscored the Red Storm in the paint, 40-34, to stretch their winning streak to five games. It also was Villanova’s fifth straight win over the Red Storm and seventh in the last eight meetings.
Eric Dixon had another big night for the Wildcats. He finished with 18 points and six rebounds and two assists. Brandon Slater added 16 points and four boards. Caleb Daniels chipped in with 13 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Jordan Longino also had 13 points.
Joel Soriano topped St. John’s (11-2, 1-1) with 17 points. A.J. Storr added 15.
For much of the first half it looked like the Red Storm was going to get its first win in the Pavilion since Jan. 13, 1993, when Steve Lappas was the head coach of the Wildcats. St. John’s led 3122 when David Jones put back a Posh Alexander miss with 4:03 to play in the open 20 minutes.
The Red Storm did not score again.
With the 3-pointers not falling, Villanova went inside and closed the half on a 13-0 run to take a 35-31 advantage into the locker room at halftime. Eight of those points came in the paint. Brandon Slater had five of his seven points in that stretch, including a clutch 3-pointer that tied the game. He followed with a layup off a St. John’s turnover to put Villanova in front.
The turnaround was a combination of Villanova’s defense and poor shot selection by the Red Storm. St. John’s missed its last six shots in the half and turned the ball over two times. A few of those shots were rushed or ill-advised.
The Red Storm shot 11-for-23 overall and 4 of 9 from 3-point range in the first 12 minutes and had a 26-18 lead. They went 16for-52 and 2-for-16, and scored just 37 points the rest of the night.
Villanova, meanwhile, kept the pressure on. The Wildcats came out of the locker room and scored nine of the first 13 points of the half to build a 44-35 lead. That burst forced St. John’s coach Mike Anderson to take his second timeout.
It didn’t help. The Wildcats kept the heat on by continuing to attack the rim and built a 17-point advantage before settling for the 15-point victory.
•••
NOTES » The Wildcats are now 9-1 in Big East openers since the league was reconfigured in 2013. … Slater was named Big 5 Player of the Week for his 19-point, eight-rebound performance in Villanova’s 71-64 victory over Saint Joseph’s
that gave the Wildcats a share of their 29th City Series title. … The Wildcats are off until next Wednesday when they take on No. 2 Connecticut in Hartford. Villanova closes out the calendar year with a New Year’s Eve matinee (2 p.m.) at home against No. 24 Marquette.