Hot Shot Nova Defeats Johnnies
St. John's listless perimeter defense dug themselves an early ditch, one which a subpar offensive performance couldn’t help them climb out from.
One game after a wild, convincing victory at Seton Hall, SJU buckled and crumbled under Villanova's fleet of sharpshooters en route to a deflating 73-62 road loss on Saturday.
Though he entered the game averaging a team-best 18 points as a versatile focal point (one who has authored multiple games of 28+ points), Julian Champagnie was held to just nine points on 4-for-12 from the field.
Posh Alexander, Dylan Addae-Wusu, and Aaron Wheeler-- who had been exceptional during a recent slew of games--combined to shoot a dreadful 6-for-22.
Collin Gillespie, the veteran senior guard, scored a game-best 17 points to lead No.14 Villanova. Gillespie pioneered the perimeter assault for the Wildcats, hitting 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Caleb Daniels scored 15 points, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Eric Dixon, Villanova's 6-foot-8 sophomore forward, scored 15 points to go with seven rebounds.
A 3-pointer from Daniels kick-started a momentum rolling 16-0 first half run. The power surge was on
capped capped by a 3-pointer from Gillespie, Big East Pre-Season Player of the Year selection.
The frenetic scoring spree lasted four minutes, giving Villanova a commanding 36-19 bulge with 2:14 remaining in the first half. Champagnie thwarted the spurt with a layup.
After an effective clamp down operation which forced Seton Hall into a rare anemic shooting performance, SJU's defense quickly regressed.
They allowed Villanova to hit 9 of its first 13 shots from beyond the arc, evoking memories from the sheer 3-point clinic Alex O'Connell put on during the ugly loss at Creighton recently.
The Wildcats were 11-for-23 from range. St. John's was dismal in that category, shooting 4-for-21 with some errant shots mixed in there.
Bouts of inconsistency have derailed this St. John's team, which entered the season with lofty expectations. At times, they've been as good as they were projected to be. Other times, like in Saturday's Villanova dud, they have a suspect shot selection and are unable to weather game-altering runs.
Montez Mathis scored 14 points in 28 minutes. While double digit scoring performances from the high octane 6-foot-4, 210-pound Rutgers’s transfer typically result in wins, SJU lacked balance in this pulse-lacking loss.