PHILADELPHIA — Maybe one day St. John’s and Villanova will be on even footing. Maybe one day the two programs can consider each other rivals. Maybe one day Villanova won’t be able to beat St. John’s by merely stepping on the floor. That day, however, is not here, and it doesn’t seem very close.
For the 11th straight time, Villanova defeated St. John’s, and like so many of the contests over the years, it was easy. The fourth-ranked Wildcats scored 16 of the game’s first 18 points, and cruised to a 92-79 victory at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday night — it wasn’t as close as the final result indicated — looking every bit like the defending national champions, who have a chance to repeat.
St. John’s, meanwhile, remained enigmatic, dominating an NCAA Tournament-caliber team in Marquette on Wednesday, and failing to show up three nights later in Philadelphia. The road has been difficult on the Johnnies, especially against the conference’s better teams. Though St. John’s (11-14, 5-7 Big East) has won at DePaul and Providence, it has lost its other four road league contests, all in blowout fashion.
Despite not starting, point guard Marcus LoVett was by far coach Chris Mulln’s best player, scoring 23 points and adding six assists and four steals. Bashir Ahmed totaled 15 points before fouling out, but Big East Rookie of the Year candidate Shamorie Ponds, hampered by foul trouble, was a non-factor, scoring all 15 of his points in the final minutes. Josh Hart led Villanova (22-2, 9-2) with 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists, and Donte DiVincenzo chipped in with 20.
Unlike the first meeting at the Garden, when a sloppy Villanova only pulled away late, the Wildcats were sharp from the start. But like that first contest, they had their way in the paint, hammering St. John’s on the glass, 41-26.
St. John’s did start the second half strong, scoring the first seven points of the stanza, and got as close as nine, on a Federico Mussini 3-pointer, but Nova soon woke up. The Wildcats, getting whatever they wanted on the offensive end, ripped off a 15-4 run, going back up 20, and were never threatened again.
St. John’s started the game with major jitters, missing its first 12 shots and trailing 16-2 out of the gate. It would get worse before it got better, Villanova racing out to leads of 24-5 and 42-16. The Wildcats were prepared after the Red Storm gave them so much trouble in the first meeting, forcing St. John’s to beat them on the perimeter, and getting into the paint at will.
One play in particular was emblematic of the ugly opening 20 minutes. Tariq Owens skied for a rebound, but was undercut by teammate Kassoum Yakwe, and crumpled to the ground, creating a travel. If not for LoVett’s 13 points and four assists, the Wildcats’ 18-point cushion would have been significantly larger.
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