VILLANOVA, Pa. (Feb. 12, 2025) – The No. 9/8 St. John’s men’s basketball team (21-4, 12-2 BIG EAST) had its 10-game BIG EAST win streak snapped on Wednesday as the Johnnies suffered a 73-71 setback at Villanova (15-10, 8-6 BIG EAST).
The Red Storm rallied all the way back from an 11-point deficit in the second half and took a 71-70 lead on Simeon Wilcher’s third 3-pointer of the game with 27.3 seconds to go. On the ensuing Wildcats’ possession, Tyler Perkins answered with his fourth triple of the contest to put Villanova back on top. Wilcher’s game-winning 3-point attempt at the buzzer was just off the mark as the Wildcats escaped with the victory.
Wilcher finished with 12 points and a pair of steals. Aaron Scott led the Johnnies with a season-high 22 points and tied a career mark with five 3-pointers. Kadary Richmond contributed 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block in 39 minutes of action for the Red Storm.
Villanova was led by Wooga Poplar who also recorded 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting. Perkins had 12 points and shot 4-for-5 from distance while Eric Dixon scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, including clutch 3-pointers down the stretch.
In a game that featured 11 lead changes, St. John’s fell behind by 10 points in the first half before rallying in the final 3:49 to cut its deficit to two at the break. After Perkins drained a triple to cap a 10-0 scoring run that put Villanova up 32-22 at 5:47, the Johnnies’ defense limited the Wildcats to just one field goal the rest of the half.
Sadiku Ibine Ayo jumpstarted the Red Storm’s 10-2 run to close out the opening stanza, as the junior guard buried a corner three. Then it was Richmond who finished through traffic and completed the three-point at the line.
St. John’s freshman guard Lefteris Liotoplous capped the offensive spurt with a triple from the top of the key to make it a 34-32 game at halftime. The Johnnies sank seven of their 11 3-pointers in the first half.
Coming out of halftime, St. John’s scored five quick points within 27 seconds to take a 37-34 lead. Richmond threw down a dunk to even the game and then Wilcher’s steal in the backcourt setup a three from RJ Luis Jr. The Miami native scored all 12 of his points in the second half and grabbed seven of his eight rebounds after intermission.
Villanova answered quickly with back-to-back trifectas from Perkins and Poplar to send the Wildcats back in front 42-39 forcing a St. John’s timeout with 17:16 on the clock. Poplar hit seven of his first 10 shot attempts.
Out of the timeout, Richmond found Scott for a corner three to even the game at 42-42. From there, Villanova countered with a 9-2 run and eventually built its lead to 59-48 with another triple from Perkins.
However, the Johnnies answered once again with a 14-0 run to take a 62-59 advantage on Luis’ offensive rebound and slam with 6:22 on the clock.
Just over a minute later, Jordan Longino evened the game at 62 with a turnaround jumper. Then with 2:27 on the clock, he pushed the Wildcats back ahead, 70-66, with a pair of free-throws. Longino finished with 13 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field and sank all four of his free-throws attempts on the night.
St. John’s would not go away easy as the Johnnies scored the next five points with Richmond’s layup and Wilcher’s key 3-pointer to take a one-point edge. On its final possession, Villanova sealed the win when Perkins drilled a triple of his own with only nine ticks on the clock.
The Red Storm returns to action on Sunday when it hosts No. 24/21 Creighton at Madison Square Garden. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. with the contest airing on FS1. The St. John’s women’s basketball team will play the second game of the doubleheader, hosting Butler at approximately 5:30 p.m.
