Final Score: St. John's 80, Villanova 68
 
Overview
 
Villanova and St. John's were engaged in a taut battle for 38 minutes Saturday night before a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden. But the Red Storm outscored the Wildcats 14-3 over the final 2:35 to earn the win. Twelve of those points were scored at the free throw line.
 
Wooga Poplar led Villanova with 20 points. RJ Luis Jr. led all scorers with 30 points and 10 rebounds, including 16-of-20 free throws.
 
The other vital statistic is that St. John's out-rebounded Villanova 44-28. The Red Storm went 29-of-39 at the line while the Wildcats were 14-of-17 there.
 
"I give St. John's a lot of credit," stated Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune. "They came in, set the tone and just played extremely hard. I'm proud of our guys. I thought we fought the entire game. But the credit goes to St. John's."
 
Triple Time
 
After a pair of empty offensive trips, Eric Dixon got the Wildcats going with a 3-pointer. That was followed by another deep ball, this one from Jhamir Brickus, and then a third for Wooga Poplar. Villanova held an 11-7 lead after 4:36 of the first half.
 
The Red Storm drained a pair of 3-pointers to regain the lead before Brickus struck again. The Coatesville, Pa., native dropped in two from deep, one of them coming off a terrific offensive rebound by freshman forward Josiah Moseley. The 'Cats were up 19-16 at the second official timeout of the night.
 
Five of VU's first made field goals were from beyond the 3-point arc. On the down side, Enoch Boakye picked up his second foul just six minutes into this one and went to the bench for the remainder of the half.
 
An old-school 3-point play by Deivon Smith tied the contest at 19.
 
D Delivered
 
The midpoint of the first half was marked by stingy defense at both ends of the court. The Red Storm held the Wildcats without a field goa for nearly four minutes, enabling it to move back on top 21-20.
 
While its offense cooled, Villanova stayed in the fray at the defensive end, forcing four St. John's turnovers in one sequence. A low post score by Dixon – just his second bucket of the evening to that point – put the 'Cats in front, 25-24.
 
St. John's, though, got its offense moving in the final minutes of the period. It outscored the Wildcats 12-6 over the final 3:52 of the period to claim a 36-31 advantage at intermission.
 
Dixon was limited to seven points in the first 20 minutes and the Wildcats were 11-of-28 from the floor (.393). St. John's, in contrast, was 12-of-25 from the floor and 8-of-10 at the free throw stripe. It also enjoyed an 18-13 edge on the glass.
 
The 11 points from Brickus paced Nova while Smith's 12 points led all scorers.
 
A Milestone for Wooga
 
With his second 3-pointer of the night, the Miami transfer scored his 1,000^th career point. The 6-5 Philadelphia native contributed eight first half points to the Wildcats' cause.
 
D Boosted the 'Cats After Intermission
 
Villanova limited the Red Storm to one field goal over the first 4:18 of the second half while Dixon supplied five points to help the 'Cats forge a tie at 38. Free throws by Poplar pushed the 'Cats to a 41-38 edge.
 
Five points from RJ Luis Jr. helped re-start the St. John's offense but Villanova got two baskets from Jordan Longino with the shot clock near its expiration, to help regain the lead at 46-45. There was 11:45 remaining in the second half.
 
The Wildcats kept the defensive heat on and held the Red Storm without a field goal for 4:12 midway through the period. When Dixon delivered a 3-pointer, the Wildcats were on top 51-47 with 9:10 to play in the second half.
 
Final Minutes
 
Villanova moved on top 54-50 but Kadary Richmond scored five straight points to push the Red Storm out front at 55-54 with just less than seven minutes to play in the second half. A pair of Luis Jr. free throws made it a 57-54 St. John's lead. A Poplar basket got the 'Cats to within 57-56 before Luis Jr. sank a 3-ball.
 
Dixon responded with a Villanova triple and it was 60-59.
 
The Red Storm used a free throw and a fast break basket off a steal to move on top 64-61. Two Brickus free throws closed the gap to 64-63 but St. John's answered with two makes at the line to push the lead to 66-63 as the clock dipped below three minutes. A Poplar drive and slam made it 66-65 with 2:33 remaining.
 
St. John's, though, scored the next eight points to secure the win.
 
What They Said
 
Villanova head coach Kyle Neptune on St. John's rebounding effort: "They're long and athletic and play with a lot of determination. They're tough."
 
Dixon on the defense he faced: "Coach Pitino is a great coach. They came with a lot of different defenders and did a great job."
 
Up Next
 
Villanova will venture to Cincinnati on Monday ahead of another BIG EAST battle, this one at Xavier Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. (FS1 and the Villanova Sports Network on IHeart).