Feb. 16, 2008
Box Score | Notes
NEW YORK (AP) - Freshman Corey Stokes scored 13 points and Villanova used a fast start to go on to a 60-42 victory over St. John's on Saturday night.
The Wildcats (15-9, 5-7 Big East) came in having lost six of its last seven, including Monday night's 55-53 loss at No. 8 Georgetown. That game was decided with 0.1 seconds to go on a foul called 75 feet from the basket.
There wasn't much of a hangover for Villanova as it opened the game with a 16-2 run on the way to a 29-8 lead, its largest of the first half.
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova's leading scorer with a 17.1 average, hurt his right ankle with 13:57 to play and did not return. He finished with six points in 21 minutes.
It was a second straight terrible first half at Madison Square Garden for the Red Storm (10-14, 4-9). In their last outing here against Georgetown, the Red Storm trailed 41-14 at the half, shooting 2-for-16 from the field, on the way to a 74-42 loss, their worst ever in a Big East game.
Villanova had a 31-13 lead at the half Saturday - St. John's lowest point total in a half this season - and the Red Storm were 5-for-24 from the field.
The Wildcats opened the second half on 6-2 run for their biggest lead of the game, 37-15 with 17:17 to play.
Anthony Mason Jr., St. John's leading scorer with a 13.5 average, missed the last three games with an ankle injury. He scored the last four points of an 8-0 run that brought the Red Storm within 37-23 with 14:09 left, but Reggie Redding hit a 3 with 13:34 left to break the run. St. John's was never closer than 13 points the rest of the way.
Dante Cunningham had 12 points and Dwayne Anderson added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, who have won six of the last seven meetings in the series.
Mason finished with 12 points, all in the second half, and nine rebounds for the Red Storm who had a season low in points for the second straight game following a 60-43 loss to Cincinnati earlier this week.
St. John's entered the game 15th in the 16-team conference in 3-point shooting at 33 percent. The Red Storm went 3-for-21 against Villanova.
