Villanova claws back to .500 fueled by a 57-49 win over Big East foe St. John’s

NEW YORK — Brandon Slater’s birth name is James, and when he’s playing well, Villanova coach Kyle Neptune calls him “Jimmy.”

“When I play like Brandon, he gets on me,” Slater said.

In the first half Friday night, it was Brandon who showed up. Slater was forced to watch the final 10 minutes from the bench. He hadn’t yet scored, but had two fouls, and had to look on while his already undermanned Villanova team engaged with St. John’s in a physical Big East game inside Madison Square Garden.

Then, Jimmy emerged.

Slater scored all 14 of his points in the second half. He saved his best for last, turning a St. John’s turnover into a one-handed transition slam to give Villanova a six-point lead with 21 seconds left to secure a 57-49 Villanova win.

Villanova finished the game on a 19-5 run after trailing by six.

The win moves Villanova back to .500 at 10-10. The Wildcats, who swept the season series with St. John’s, are now 4-5 in Big East play.

» READ MORE: Assessing Kyle Neptune during a tough rookie season at Villanova

Caleb Daniels paced Villanova with 16 points on 5 of 10 shooting, including 4-for-7 from three-point range. Slater made 5 of 7 shots and all four of his free throws.

Joel Soriano’s 14 points and 16 rebounds led St. John’s. Dylan Addae-Wusu added 12 points.

St. John’s appeared to have a simple plan for Friday night: take Eric Dixon out of the game and make Villanova win without him. Dixon had a tough matchup with Soriano, one of the best centers in the conference.

The Red Storm sent double teams at Dixon and made it difficult for him inside. He missed his first eight shot attempts, but his first make was a big one, a post move on Soriano and a tough basket that made the Villanova lead, 47-46, with 4 minutes, and 30 seconds to play. It was Villanova’s first lead of the half.

Dixon later hit a key free throw to put Villanova ahead by four and help seal the win with 25.6 seconds to go.

Friday marked the first game Dixon was held under 10 points this season, but he grabbed 11 rebounds, none bigger than a defensive board off an Andre Curbelo drive as the clock ticked under one minute to go.

“They played him really well,” Daniels said of Dixon. “He stayed with it, trusted Villanova basketball, and he got us that win, honestly, getting the rebound and knocking a free throw down. I think that’s a tribute to his character … and it’s a tribute to who we are as a program.”

Slater scored nine of Villanova’s first 12 points in the second half and kept Villanova in it while St. John’s threatened to pull away. He scored his points in a variety of ways: converting three-point plays, hitting a baseline jumper, and then the game-sealing slam.

“I thought it was awesome,” Neptune said. “The last couple games, Jimmy has come into his own. It’s not really the scoring. It’s defensively.”

Asked where this one ranked in his Madison Square Garden moments, Slater said he wasn’t thinking about that.

“We were trying to get stops,” he said. “When you’re playing in the game you’re just trying to do the best you can in the game. I was just trying to play hard for my teammates and my coaches.”

If your favorite flavor of Big East hoops is the ugly, physical version, you loved this one.

Villanova missed its first seven shots from inside three-point range and only made a pair of two-point baskets in the opening half while connecting on 7 of 17 three-point attempts. The first two-point shot came nearly 15 minutes into the game on a Cam Whitmore pull-up from the elbow. The Red Storm limited Dixon’s touches in the post and sent double-teams at him.

St. John’s, meanwhile, made only two threes while dominating the offensive glass.

The teams combined for 19 turnovers in the first half and 32.7% shooting. Neither team led by more than three points in the opening session, which finished with the score tied, 28-28.

In total, the teams combined for 33 turnovers, with Villanova committing 16. They combined for 34.2% shooting on the night.

“They just make it nasty and tough, and it’s a dog fight every time you play them,” Neptune said of St. John’s.

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Neptune was hit with his first technical foul as Villanova coach. It came just over three minutes into the second half after Dixon was called for traveling.

Neptune later was unhappy with Daniels being called for a foul seconds after he appeared to be fouled on a drive of his own. Neptune paced around at the beginning of what was a media timeout on the floor.

How’s this for a lengthy in-season break? The Wildcats don’t play again until Jan. 29, when they host No. 22 Providence at Wells Fargo Center (noon, FS1).

That starts a stretch of games against three of the top four teams in the conference, with road contests against Marquette and Creighton to follow.