VILLANOVA, Pa. _ Villanova may not be the caliber of team that can match up with last year's national championship squad, but the Wildcats are secure in knowing that seniors Phil Booth and Eric Paschall are around to settle them down in close games.
It was Booth's turn to lead the 'Cats in the second half Tuesday night against 24th-ranked St. John's, scoring 10 of his 23 points in the last seven minutes to lift the Wildcats to a 76-71 victory over the Red Storm in a Big East game at Finneran Pavilion.
Paschall scored 17 of his 25 points in the first half to keep the game from getting away from the Wildcats (12-4, 3-0 Big East). The Red Storm (14-2, 2-2) led by as many as 13 in the first half and by eight, 59-51, with 10 minutes, 30 seconds to play in the second half.
An 11-3 run enabled Villanova to tie the game at 62 on Paschall's two free throws with 5:17 remaining. After St. John's scored the next five points, Booth came back with back-to-back 3-point baskets to put the Wildcats ahead for good, 68-67, with 2:37 left.
The Cats went on to win the game from the free-throw line, making 8 of 12 in the final 1:48. The Red Storm went the last 4:08 with just one field goal.
Shamorie Ponds led St. John's with 25 points but shot just 3 of 10 in the second half.
The Wildcats fell behind 14-2 early and trailed by as many as 13 in the first half before drawing to within five, 39-34, at the break. Paschall went 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 5 from beyond the arc for a game-high 17 points, while Ponds led the Red Storm with 15.
Ponds also had four assists, doing a successful job of drawing in the Villanova defense and kicking out to an open teammate at the 3-point arc. The strategy worked, the visitors connected 9 of 21 3-point attempts in the first half, and tried only seven shots from inside the line.
The Red Storm drew out to an 11-point lead, 50-39, in the opening three minutes of the second half on a running hook by Justin Simon but the Wildcats responded with a 12-0 run to take their first lead of the game, 52-51, on Booth's scoop with 14:27 to play.
However, Villanova missed seven straight shots after taking the lead and went 4:40 before scoring again. The Red Storm scored nine consecutive points, including a four-point play by Ponds, to go up 59-51 with 10:30 remaining.
St. John's came out on fire, racing out to a 14-2 lead in the opening 3:12 with the help of four consecutive 3-point baskets _ two each by Mustapha Heron and LJ Figueroa. The next two St. John's baskets came on 3s, both by Ponds, and the visitors took their largest lead of the half at 20-7.
Another Ponds basket, this one from the top of the key, made it 22-10 before the Wildcats scored 12 of the next 14 points, sparked by a pair of 3-point baskets by Paschall. A tip-in by Jermaine Samuels drew Villanova to within two, 24-22, with 7:44 left in the half.
Marvin Clark II and Figueroa both knocked down 3-pointers in an 8-0 run that helped St. John's get its margin back to 10, 34-24, with 4:50 left in the half. The Red Storm held a 39-29 lead with 2 minutes left before two free throws by Paschall and Booth's 3-pointer cut the gap to five at the half.
