St. John’s Stuns No. 3/3 Villanova, 70-59

QUEENS, N.Y. – Hosting its highest ranked on-campus opponent in more than four decades, the St. John’s men’s basketball team took down the No. 3/3 Villanova Wildcats in convincing fashion, 70-59, on Wednesday at Carnesecca Arena. St. John’s (12-7, 6-6 BIG EAST) has now won five straight and six of its last seven. The Johnnies have won four straight BIG EAST games for the first time since 2014-15, a streak that includes three conference road victories. The win was the Red Storm’s second of the season against a ranked opponent and the best of the Mike Anderson Era so far. The win marked the Red Storm’s first against a top-five foe since downing eventual national champion and No. 1/1 Villanova on Feb. 7, 2018, in Philadelphia. The victory was also the best at Carnesecca Arena/Alumni Hall in terms of AP ranking since Jan. 19, 1966, when Sonny Dove tallied 28 points and 24 rebounds in an 82-72 win over No. 3 Saint Joseph’s during Lou Carnesecca’s first year as St. John’s head coach. Averaging an NCAA-low 8.3 turnovers per game before facing the Johnnies, Villanova (11-2, 6-1 BIG EAST) coughed up 17 possessions against the Red Storm’s unrelenting pressure. Arguably the best point guard in the country, Collin Gillespie registered six turnovers. Coming into Wednesday, Gillespie had 12 turnovers in 12 games and ranked fourth in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.7-to-1.