Villanova took down No. 9 St. John’s, 73-71, on Wednesday night at the Finneran Pavilion on a three-pointer from sophomore guard Tyler Perkins with 8.7 seconds left in regulation.
With 28 seconds left in the game, St. John’s sophomore guard Simeon Wilcher hit a three-pointer to give the Red Storm a 71-70 lead. After the Villanova inbound, senior guard Jhamir Brickus passed the ball to Perkins, who knocked in a deep three to give the Wildcats their first Quad 1 win of the season.
With the victory, Villanova (15-10, 8-6 Big East) snapped St. John’s (21-4, 12-2 Big East) 10-game win streak.
The Red Storm entered the game with a 15-1 record over its last 16 games, and ranked the second-most efficient defense in the country. Wednesday night marked the most points St. John’s has allowed in Big East play so far this season.
Villanova has won three ranked games at home this season. It is also the first time in a single season the Wildcats have beaten two top-10 teams in the Finneran Pavilion.
“I thought we settled in and really got to it defensively,” head coach Kyle Neptune said. “I thought our guys did a good job of staying there and getting it done.”
Perkins has rediscovered his three-point shot. After a solid start to Big East play, Perkins went on a 0-28 run on three-pointers. Over his last two games, he has shot 8-10 from three.
“We said at the beginning of the year [that] Perkins could have started on this team,” Neptune said. “We feel really comfortable when he’s out there. Even if he’s not making shots, he just does so much while he’s out there just from his attitude, his passion, his intensity. He’s just an all-around great player.”
Perkins finished the game with 12 points. Villanova is now 8-0 when Perkins scores double digits.
In the first half, Villanova claimed a 10-point lead over St. John’s. The double-digit advantage was mainly provided by senior guard Wooga Poplar, who dropped 13 points in the first half. Poplar finished the night with a team-high 22 points and four steals.
Over the last four games, Poplar has averaged 20.3 points, six rebounds and 3.8 steals.
“[Poplar] is an extremely big-time talent,” Neptune said. “I thought he’s done everything we’ve asked him to do and more. From his attitude, to his leadership, to his getting better offensively and defensively. I think [Poplar is] one of the biggest improvements we’ve seen along with [Perkins].”
Villanova was unable to hold on to its double-digit lead after making only one of its seven consecutive field goal attempts at the end of the first half. The Wildcats’ lead dwindled to two points, and they led just 34-32 at halftime.
The second half included runs from both teams, with the biggest being a 12-0 St. John’s run with 6:22 left to play.
Graduate forward Eric Dixon scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including two back-to-back threes, igniting the crowd at the Finn. Dixon finished the night with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists.
High energy from the home crowd was a common theme throughout the entire game.
“We have great fans,” Neptune said. “They all support us. I thought they definitely gave us the extra boost.”
Villanova is now on a three-game win streak and will prepare to go on the road and play Providence (11-13, 5-8 Big East) on Saturday, Feb. 15, at the Amica Mutual Pavilion (6 p.m., CBS).
