Madison Square Garden—–In front of a lively crowd of 18,178 on Saturday night, St. John’s (14-3) secured an impressive 80-68 victory over Villanova (11-6) at home. The Johnnies were propelled by a stellar performance from RJ Luis Jr., who delivered a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. Supporting Luis were Aaron Scott and Deivon Smith, who each chipped in 12 points to the winning effort.
The game began as a tight contest, with both teams trading baskets throughout the first half. However, St. John’s managed to pull ahead, entering halftime with a 36-31 lead. Luis and Scott paced the team early, scoring 7 and 5 points, respectively. The Johnnies shot an efficient 48% (12-25) from the field and 30.8% (4-13) from three-point range in the opening half.
“I give St. John’s a lot of credit,” said 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.”
Villanova’s Jhamir Brickus kept the Wildcats competitive, pouring in 11 points by the midway mark. The second half saw the Wildcats briefly take a 46-45 lead at the 11:45 mark, but St. John’s quickly regained control. The Johnnies tightened their defense and went on a run, building a four-point cushion at 60-56 with 5:39 remaining.
The Wildcats showed resilience and toughness, tying the game at 61 with just over four minutes to play. However, St. John’s responded with a late push, going up by five at 70-65 with 1:30 left. From there, the Johnnies never looked back, closing out the game with solid execution on both ends of the floor.
Key to the victory was St. John’s dominance on the glass, outrebounding Villanova 44-28. The Johnnies also capitalized on fast-break opportunities, scoring 12 points in transition to secure the win.
“If you want to win this game, you have to play harder,” Luis said of Pitino’s message to the team during the second half when Villanova took a three-point lead. “We have to hustle more, and that’s what we did when we came out of the timeout.”
With this victory, St. John’s showcased their ability to compete against tough opponents, giving their fans plenty to cheer about on an electric night in New York.
