NEW YORK, N.Y. – A sizzling second half from beyond the 3-point arc and air-tight defense helped St. John's rally past Villanova 71-65 Sunday.
 
The Wildcats (20-6 overall, 11-2 BIG EAST) were 13-of-30 from the field in the first half (.439) but just 5-of-24 in the second half (.208). They were unable to solve the Red Storm's defense after building a 29-10 lead over the game's first 11:10. Villanova scored just 36 points over the final 28:10  as St. John's (19-7 overall, 7-6 BIG EAST) bottled up the Wildcats seniors, Phil Booth and Eric Paschall.
 
Graduate transfer Joe Cremo led Villanova with 14 points, sinking four 3-pointers on the day. Booth added 13 points while Paschall posted a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. St. John's enjoyed a 26-5 advantage on fast break points.
 
After missing its first nine attempts from beyond the arc, St. John's then made 8-of-14 from deep.
 
"There was great energy in the Garden and it was great Big East basketball," stated Villanova head coach Jay Wright of a contest played before a sellout crowd of 19,812 at Madison Square Garden. "I thought in the first half we were good. In the second half, they just took us out of it. They took us out of everything. We couldn't execute any offense.
 
"A lot of our turnovers and missed shots turned into transition baskets for them. That was the game. This really was the tale of two halves."
 
A pair of early 3-point field goals – one each from sophomore Collin Gillespie and freshman Saddiq Bey helped the Wildcats gain an 11-6 edge over the opening 4:46 of action. VU limited the Red Storm to 3-of-9 shooting in that span.
 
The Wildcats' third triple of the day – this one from the corner by Cremo – put the finishing touches on a 9-2 surge that helped Villanova craft a 20-8 lead with 12:48 to play in the first half. Consecutive 3-pointers from freshman guard Jahvon Quinerly helped VU construct a 26-9 edge.
 
When Phil Booth picked up his second foul call with more than six minutes to play in the period, the Wildcats were presented with a new challenge – playing without one of their pillars for an extended stretch. St. John's generated some offense off of steals and at the free throw line to narrow its deficit to 37-23 before Booth returned with 35 seconds to play before intermission for a final possession.
 
After a Wildcats' miss, a Justin Simon heave from the Red Storm end of the court went in just before the horn. That was St. John's first made 3-pointer of the period and capped a 16-7 run that carved the Villanova lead to 37-26 at intermission.
 
"It probably did get them going," noted Paschall. "But we tried not to worry about that."
 
"We kept trying to be solid and doing what we do," added Cremo.
 
Marvin Clark II scored the first points of the second half, this time on a more conventional 3-point field goal to cut the deficit to 37-29. And then the game settled into a rugged defensive battle with both teams finding the sledding rough on offense. Villanova pushed the lead to 48-34 before an 11-0 Red Storm run shaved the margin to 48-45 and brought the packed house alive.
 
"We try to stick to 94 by feet," Paschall said.
 
The Wildcats were in the midst of a field goal drought of more than four minutes. An LJ Figueroa 3-pointer with just over nine minutes on the clock narrowed the gap to 49-48 with just over nine minutes on the clock. After Booth drained two free throws, a Mustapha Heron long ball tied the game at 51.
 
A dunk by Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree gave the 'Cats a 53-51 edge before Figueroa sank a 3-ball to give the Red Storm its first lead at 54-53. There were just under seven minutes to play in regulation time.
 
Booth's driving bucket gave VU a 57-55 lead but then came another Red Storm deep ball, this one from Figueroa. After a free throw from Justin Simon, the home team led 59-57 as the game dipped below the three minute mark.
 
The Wildcats could never dig out of the hole, though, ultimately falling 71-65.
 
"Credit St. John's," Wright said. "They were tough and physical and took us out of everything we tried to do in the second half."
 
The second in Villanova's current stretch of three straight away from home takes place on Wednesday evening. The Wildcats travel to Washington, D.C., to meet Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and 610 ESPN Radio).