Johnnies exorcise demons, score first win on Villanova campus in 31 years

Brady Dunlap furthered his momentum Saturday with 15 points as St. John’s defeated Villanova for first win at Finneran Pavilion since 1993. (Photo by St. John’s Men’s Basketball)

By Jason Dimaio (@JasonDimaio1)

VILLANOVA, Pa. — St. John’s entered an environment Saturday that, for the past three decades, had been nothing but brutal.

But as the Red Storm and its rabid fan base continues to learn in year one of Rick Pitino’s reign, change is good.

St. John’s seized control from the opening tip against Villanova on Saturday, scoring the first 10 points of the game and never letting up until the final buzzer, leaving Finneran Pavilion with an 81-71 win over the perennial Big East powerhouse Wildcats.

St. John’s (11-4, 3-1 Big East) picked up its first win on Villanova’s campus since January 13, 1993, doing so in convincing fashion as four players, led by Joel Soriano and his 20 points, tallied double-figure scoring totals. To put the triumph in perspective, the last time the Red Storm left one of the conference’s most imposing home courts victorious came when Brian Mahoney was less than a year into replacing program legend Lou Carnesecca, and Bill Clinton was just a week away from being inaugurated as the 42nd President of the United States.

“Offensively, we were very efficient,” Pitino said of his team’s shooting. “We never relented because we kept attacking the basket, which was beautiful to see, and we played great defense by and large. We did an outstanding job there.”

In addition to Soriano, Brady Dunlap continued his recent surge and proved to be even more of an X-factor. The freshman, making his first career start Saturday afternoon after Chris Ledlum was scratched due to his sprained ankle, picked up where he left off in Tuesday’s victory over Butler by scoring 15 points to eclipse his previous career-high of 13, set just four days ago.

“It’s a dream come true,” Dunlap said as he was an efficient 5-of-8 shooting, connecting on through of his five 3-point field goal attempts in the process. “The way my season’s trajectory was going, I didn’t really picture this, but I knew coming in here with five fifth-year seniors, I might not play as much. I’ve never had to sit in my life, but I never lost confidence.”

Much like it did in its two previous trips to The Finn, St. John’s got off to a hot start, leading by as many as 13 points in the first half before Villanova found a way to keep the game in reach. Led by TJ Bamba and Eric Dixon, who scored 23 and 14 points, respectively, the Wildcats clawed back to a halftime deficit of only six as St. John’s led at the intermission, 34-28.

The difference on this day, though, is that St. John’s never wavered, coming up with an answer for every run Villanova threw at the Red Storm. Pitino mixed in different defensive looks, switching from man to zone. Still, the Wildcats remained mystified, especially from long distance, shooting a paltry 6-of-28 from beyond the arc.

St. John’s came out of the locker room much like it did to start the game, uncorking an 8-2 run which quickly saw its lead balloon to 12 points, at 42-30. With 13:14 to go in regulation, a Mark Armstrong layup would get Villanova back within seven, prompting what had been a mostly quiet crowd to that point to make its presence known.

On the following possession, the patient Johnnies worked the shot clock to its duration before Dunlap hoisted a three and buried it, extending the lead back to double digits and silencing the Villanova faithful.

The Red Storm’s 3-1 start to conference play is the program’s best since the 2010-11 season, one that resulted in a trip to the NCAA Tournament in Steve Lavin’s first year at the helm. Much like that year’s team, led by Dwight Hardy to wins over Duke, UConn and Pitt on the way to the field of 68, this year’s iteration of St. John’s has gained traction on the defensive end as the year went on. For Pitino, who drilled down on that side of the basketball when retooling his roster shortly after taking the job, the improvement has been satisfying, to say the least.

“We recruited all offensive basketball players and we’re trying to teach them defense,” he said of the travails he and his coaching staff have endured. “When you have gifted offensive players, the defense is just hard work and paying attention to scouting. Now, they’re all becoming a good defensive team. They’re mixing up their zone with their man, they’re mixing up their presses. They’re an intelligent group.”

St. John’s returns home for its next opportunity, against a Providence team that now adjusts to life without its star player, Bryce Hopkins, after he tore his ACL in Wednesday’s loss to Seton Hall. The Red Storm hopes to further its success, which for Dunlap, was the driving factor in his commitment after reopening his recruitment in the offseason.

“It’s why I came here,” he admitted. “It’s why all the guys who committed here came here, for Rick Pitino and to change the program.”