St. John's handed humbling dose of realty in blowout vs Villanova

By Troy Mauriello

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Following just their second Big East win of the season over the weekend, opportunity knocked for the St. John’s Red Storm Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.

Unfortunately, the Johnnies weren’t there to answer.

St. John’s was walloped, 79-59, by the No. 8 Villanova Wildcats in what was ultimately a crushing dose of reality. St. John’s entered the game with hopes of picking up its third win this season over a top-25 opponent, and potentially re-entering itself in the discussion for a surprising NCAA Tournament bid. Instead, the Red Storm was outplayed in nearly every facet of the game by a Wildcats team that has won two titles in the past four seasons, and appears poised to be in contention for a third in 2020.

“They’re one of the top 10 teams in the country and there’s a reason why, so let’s give them credit,” head coach Mike Anderson said. “I thought we’d come and play a lot better, but that’s basketball in the Big East.”

The Red Storm actually got out to a strong start in this one, evoking memories of upset wins over ranked foes such as West Virginia and Arizona earlier in the year. But after the Johnnies opened the game with a 13-6 lead, the Wildcats railed off a 33-13 run over the final 15 minutes of the first half, taking a 13-point lead into halftime.

“We got off to a pretty good start and I thought they settled in. I think their experience showed,” Anderson said.

A 3-pointer from junior guard Rasheem Dunn cut the Villanova lead down to 46-38 with 14:34 remaining, but that would end up being the closest St. John’s got in the second half. Villanova surged to a 22-6 run over the next seven plus minutes, extending its lead to as large as 24 and turning the game’s closing minutes into garbage time.

Dunn was the best player on the floor for the Red Storm, tallying a season-high 24 points in 34 minutes. He attacked the basket with tenacity, shooting 10-16 from the field, and kept the Johnnies in the game early in the second half.

But Dunn could not do it all by himself. Senior guard Mustapha Heron and junior forward LJ Figueroa continued their inconsistent play this season and combined for just 15 points. Heron, a preseason All-Big East Second Team selection, shot just 1-7 from the field and finished with a career-low three points.

“He had some open looks and just couldn’t knock them down,” Anderson said on his struggling star.

Figueroa got off to a fast start with seven points in the game’s first seven minutes, but he went scoreless from the 13:38 point of the first half until the 16:14 mark of the second half. St. John’s was outscored 34-20 during this drought.

With each of its stars struggling offensively, St. John’s was going to need a virtuoso performance on the defensive end to have any shot at an upset. And with Villanova shooting 48 percent from the floor – including 41 percent from 3-point range – that clearly was not what happened.

The Wildcats drained 12 3-pointers on the night, led by emerging star Saddiq Bey, who shot 5-9 from downtown on his way to a 23-point performance. St John’s had no answer for the potent perimeter attack that Villanova presents, and it showed all night long.

“I didn’t think we played the type of defense we were playing all year long,” Anderson said. “I thought they were able to offensively do what they wanted to do and when the doubles came they were smart enough to take advantage of it and kick it out and guys made shots.”

At 13-9 overall and just 2-7 in the Big East, it will be an uphill climb for the Red Storm to make the most out of the remainder of its season. St. John’s will be back in action on Sunday, when it hosts another longtime Big East foe, Georgetown, at Madison Square Garden.