Red Storm Front Line a Difference Maker
PHILADELPHIA, PA 1/17/2026 –
Two teams tied for second place in the Big East met at the Xfinity Mobile Center. In the end it was the experience, size, and quickness of the Red Storm that made the difference in their 86 – 79 win over the Wildcats.
St. John’s had a sizable 42 – 22 edge in points in the paint, and did so with their size advantage and getting to the basket. The St. John’s forwards of Dillon Mitchell, Bryce Hopkins, and Zuby Ejiofor combined for 47 points, and 23 of the 31 rebounds. Tall and athletic front lines have given Villanova problems in the past.
“They are going against grown men,” said Villanova Coach Kevin Willard. ” I think the younger guys are all still trying to figure out how to play against a physically dominant team. We’ve struggled against physically dominant teams for that reason.”
“That front line is different and I have to adjust a little better because we are getting killed on the glass.”
The Wildcats countered with guard play and hitting 11 of 26 from beyond the arc. Tyler Perkins scored 23 points, 2 shy of his career-high. This was his highest Villanova point production. Devin Askew added 21 points. Each player had 3 made three-point field goals.
“They’re an experienced team, said Perkins. “They like to rebound, especially offensively. We’ve just got to do a better job of containing that.”
Critical Run of the Game
In the second half with Nova trailing 36 – 35 the turnover bug hit the Wildcats who had 6 turnovers in the first 6 minutes. During that time the Red Storm went on a 20 – 4 run to take control leading 56 – 39 behind the scoring of Hopkins, Oziyah Sellers, and Ian Jackson.
Villanova mounted a comeback late getting to within 78 – 73 on a three-pointer by Askew. A basket by Ejiofor with 33 seconds to play was the dagger as the Red Storm took a 82 – 75 lead.
What the Numbers Say
Hopkins lead St. John’s in scoring with 20 points. He made 6 of 14 from the floor and went 8 for 10 from the free throw line. Ejiofor added 17 points and 7 rebounds. Guard Ian Jackson scored 18 points. Mitchell posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
St. John’s made 25 of 43 field goal attempts from inside the arc and went 21 of 31 from the free throw line.
The rebound total was 31 – 28 Red Storm and 12 – 7 off the offensive boards.
Villanova got good production from outside the arc getting 11 of 26 attempts. Bryce Lindsay added 11 points. Duke Brennan was just shy of a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Acaden Lewis handed out a game-best 5 assists.
Up Next
Villanova (14 – 4, 5- 2) returns to the court on Wednesday hosting Georgetown.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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