NEW YORK _ The main requirement for No. 8 Villanova's trip Tuesday night to Madison Square Garden was to keep its composure and focus against the suffocating press of St. John's.
The mission was accomplished, and the customary strong performance from Collin Gillespie helped out, too.
The Wildcats won their seventh straight game and 13th in their last 14 with a 79-59 victory over the Red Storm, and Gillespie was in the center of everything. He posted his first career double-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and he handled the Red Storm's press effectively, committing just one turnover in 37 minutes.
Villanova (17-3, 7-1 Big East) trailed 19-15 slightly past the midway point of the first half, but 3-point baskets by Justin Moore and Saddiq Bey sparked a run of 13 consecutive points that put the Cats in control at 28-19 with 5:21 left in the half. The margin grew to 39-26 by halftime, thanks to strong defense that limited the Red Storm (13-9, 2-7) to 3-of-15 shooting in the last nine minutes.
St. John's cut the deficit to eight, 46-38, in the opening six minutes of the second half, but a 13-4 run built the 'Nova advantage to 59-42 with 11:18 to play on a Gillespie 3-pointer. The lead grew to as much as 24, 68-44, on Bey's 3-ball.
The Wildcats turned the ball over only 13 times against the Red Storm, who had been forcing nearly 18 turnovers per game. They also were effective on the offensive boards, scoring 16 second-chance points off 10 offensive rebounds.
Bey knocked down five 3-point baskets and led the Cats with 23 points. Jeremiah Robinson-Earl posted his fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Rasheem Dunn led the Johnnies with 24.
The Wildcats shot 55.6% from the floor in the second half and 47.5% in the game.
With both teams lined up at the foul lines in front of their benches, 24 seconds of silence were observed before the game to honor Kobe Bryant, his daughter and the seven other persons who perished in Sunday's helicopter crash outside of Los Angeles.
