Make some room in the fire next to Michigan Movies.
Kevin Willard and the Wildcats have yet another game tape to burn after an embarrassing loss to No. 15 St. John’s on Saturday night.
There was little going on after Bryce Lindsay’s layup gave Villanova a 2-0 lead. From there, St. John’s scored the next 11 points and continued to dominate for 40 minutes in an 89-57 thumping at Madison Square Garden.
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It was clear from the start that St. John’s (23-6, 16-2) defensive pressure was getting to the Wildcats (22-7, 13-5). A wave of Villanova turnovers early on allowed the Johnnies to build a double-digit lead in the 11th minute of the first half. Villanova committed 16 turnovers on the night.
St. John’s went on a 13-0 run in the first half to extend its lead to 18 points and eventually to 25 points at halftime.
In the second half, Tyler Perkins’ three-pointer brought Villanova within 17 points, but that was it. St. John’s scored nine quick points to push the lead back to 26 points.
St. John’s scored 29 points off turnovers while defeating Villanova 40-26. The team dished out 26 assists to the Wildcats’ 11, while also dishing out 11 steals.
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If St. John’s needed more to come out of this game, Zubie Ejiofor had a triple-double with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
For the Wildcats, Duke Brennan scored 12 points and Lindsay and Devin Askew scored 10 points. Acaden Lewis had perhaps his worst game of the season, committing five turnovers.
Villanova will return to action on Wednesday against DePaul on the road and then end the season on the road against Xavier.
The Wildcats have a chance to finish the season with 24 wins and 15 wins in Big East play. Will this be a success in Year 1 for Willard? Absolutely.