NEW YORK, N.Y. – Villanova controlled the action for more than 36 minutes and then survived a furious rally in the closing minutes to post a 75-69 BIG EAST win over St. John's Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats built a 66-46 advantage before the Red Storm used a 23-6 burst to draw within three points with possession of the basketball with 25 second left.
 
But the Wildcats (18-6 overall, 11-3 BIG EAST) got a defensive stop and a trio of free throws to secure the win over the Red Storm (13-10 overall, 5-7 BIG EAST).
 
Eric Dixon and Justin Moore each contributed 16 points for the Wildcats while Brandon Slater added 15 points. Aaron Wheeler led all scorers with 31 points for the Red Storm.
 
Guards Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore, both nursing ankle injuries suffered in the Wildcats' last two games, warmed up prior to the contest. The pair was in the starting lineup when the game tipped off. St. John's, meanwhile, announced just before tipoff that its standout guard, Posh Alexander, would not be available due to a sprained ankle.
 
"That's a great road win," stated Villanova coach Jay Wright. "Obviously St. John's without Posh was undermanned. You know that in Big East games teams are never going to quit. They put the pressure on us and Wheeler was outstanding. But I'm proud of our guys for gutting it out."
 
Gillespie did not score but contributed 10 rebounds to the effort.
 
"His presence is so important for us," noted Villanova head coach Jay Wright. "Both he and Justin said they could go. We started them and they weren't 100 percent. When Collin went down in the first half, I thought he would tell us he couldn't go any more. But he said he was good. Justin hadn't played or practice since he got hurt at Marquette. Just a real gutty effort by both of them."
 
The Wildcats crafted a 14-8 lead over the first 6:55. The early offense came courtesy of Dixon, Jermaine Samuels and Slater. It was 16-10 near the midpoint of the half as each team's defense asserted itself.
 
Villanova slowly pushed its edge to 26-18 thanks to a 3-pointer by Moore and free throws from Samuels. But the Red Storm used a 5-0 spurt capped by an Aaron Wheeler 3-pointer to narrow the deficit to 32-28 with 1:07 left in the first half.
 
Wheeler dropped in a 3-pointer from the right corner to draw the Red Storm back to within 34-31 in the opening minute of the second half. But the Wildcats scored the next points – four in the post by Dixon and an offensive rebound for a deuce by Slater to expand the lead to 40-31 after 3:08 of the second half.
 
A great hustle play off a missed Villanova free throw by the Wildcats ended with a Caleb Daniels basket and free throw that pushed the edge to 45-31 with just less than 15 minutes to play in the second half. A Samuels basket made it 47-31 but Wheeler scored six straight points to close the margin to 47-37 with 13:22 remaining.
 
Three-pointers on consecutive possessions by Daniels helped Villanova stretch its margin to 66-46 as the contest dipped below the four-minute mark. The Red Storm kept pressing, forced a pair of turnovers and used an 13-2 burst to cut the gap to 68-59 at the 1:58 mark. When Wheeler dropped in a pair of free throws with 52.3 seconds left, the lead was at 70-64.
 
Another Wheeler 3-pointer with 35 seconds left in the second half, reduced the Villanova lead to 72-69. The Red Storm then got a steal, giving them a chance to tie the game with a 3-pointer. But Villanova's defense stiffened and Samuels and Slater hit the free throws to lock down the win.
 
"I'm not really sure what happened over those final minutes," said Wright. "I will have to look at the tape. It's incredible how a game can be one way for 36 minutes and then totally change in the last four minutes. It's college basketball, I guess.
 
"We're grateful to get a Big East road win against a good team."
 
Next on the schedule for Villanova is a Saturday matinee with Seton Hall. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center (Fox television and the Villanova IHeart Radio Network).