Rick Pitino felt his team took a “quantum leap” with how it finished its narrow loss to Marquette on Saturday.
That momentum carried over four days later.
In what felt like a must-win game between two desperate teams, St. John’s was the hungrier, more intense and more physical team.
It was better early and much better late, cruising to a one-sided, 70-50 victory over Villanova at the Garden on Wednesday night to snap a three-game skid.
With the win, the Johnnies (13-7) completed their first season sweep of the Wildcats since 1992-93.
More importantly, they enter their week without a game feeling good about themselves, back over .500 in league play (5-4).
Villanova (11-8, 4-4), on the other hand, has now lost four of five — with the lone win coming against everyone’s punching bag, DePaul.
There was a lot to like about this performance. Whether it was Joel Soriano (21 points, nine rebounds) finding his game, Glenn Taylor Jr. (nine points) having a breakout performance, or the defense shutting down Villanova from the perimeter for a second time.
The Wildcats shot 4 of 25 from 3-point range, after going 6-for-28 in the first meeting.
The game was up for grabs midway through the second half. St. John’s lead was down to five.
But then Daniss Jenkins sank a 3-pointer, Soriano scored five straight points, and Jordan Dingle finished off a drive. Over the final 10:02, the Johnnies outscored the Wildcats, 28-13.
They were dominant on the glass (42-23), outscored Villanova in the paint by six, by 12 off the bench and by 13 in second-chance points.
They did the little things that had been missing in recent one-point losses to Creighton and Marquette.
Eric Dixon led Villanova with 16 points and TJ Bamba added 12. Justin Moore, the star senior, was limited to four points and attempted four field goals.
St. John’s controlled the opening 20 minutes, leading by as many as 15 and taking a 10-point edge into the break.
It defended like its collective hair was on fire, forcing seven turnovers and holding Villanova to 2 of 13 shooting from 3-point range.
Dixon, the Wildcats’ leading scorer, managed just five points and attempted just three shots.
The Johnnies were plus-eight on the glass and had nine assists on 14 made field goals.
There wasn’t one offensive standout. Seven different players scored.
If there was a star, it was the bench, which produced 13 first-half points.
The unit keyed a 15-4 run, with Taylor sinking a pair of 3-pointers in the run.
Villanova was the more aggressive team coming out of the break, picking up fouls on St. John’s. It methodically cut the lead to five after a Hakim Hart basket with 12:46 left, forcing Pitino to use a timeout. The Johnnies started the second half ice cold, the offense choppy and without much rhythm.
Nahiem Alleyne (sprained right ankle) missed the game.
He worked out beforehand, but was unable to play. … Knicks players and Villanova alums Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidacono were in attendance. So was Nets wing Mikal Bridges.
