Tyler Perkins’ game-winning three leads Villanova to 73-71 upset of No. 9 St. John’s
Wooga Poplar led the Wildcats with 22 points, while Eric Dixon, Jordan Longino, and Perkins all scored in double-figures to secure Villanova's third ranked win on the season.
Tyler Perkins, center, of Villanova is hugged by Jordan Longino after Perkins shot gave them a 73-71 victory over St. John's at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
by Brooke Ackerman
Published
Two nights ahead of Valentine’s Day, the Villanova men’s basketball team gave its fans a Big East upset they had to love.
Hosting No. 9 St. John’s, the Wildcats’ Tyler Perkins sank a three-point shot with nine seconds left to wipe out a one-point deficit and give Villanova a 73-71 victory Wednesday night at Finneran Pavilion.
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The Wildcats (15-10, 8-6 Big East) snapped St. John’s 10-game winning streak and dropped the Red Storm’s record to 21-4, 12-2.
With Villanova down by one with 28 seconds left, the Wildcats had one final possession to secure the upset. The ball landed in the hands of Perkins, and the sophomore guard put up the eventual winning shot.
From there, it was a matter of getting a singular stop. St. John’s guard Simeon Wilcher missed a three-pointer with one second left to secure Villanova’s third win over a ranked team this season.
“I’m just more glad we got the win,” Perkins said, “If it was me shooting, Eric [Dixon] shooting, it doesn’t matter. We got the win.”
Keep your cool
Long before St. John’s lost on a three-point shot, the Red Storm put on a three-point clinic, hitting 5-for-11 from behind the arc in the first 8 minutes and 18 seconds of the game.
“It felt like they went 7-for-7 [from three] to start the game,” Wildcats coach Kyle Neptune said. “I’m just happy we were able to [survive] that run.”
Senior guard Wooga Poplar scored the Wildcats’ first six points, and his teammates slowly started to fall in line..
St. John’s helped the Villanova cause with five turnovers in a 3:50 stretch, and Perkins ended a Wildcats scoring drought of nearly three minutes with a three-pointer that started a 7-0 run put them up 32-22 with 5:47 left in the first half.
St. John’s finally snapped its scoring drought after a three-pointer from Sadiku Ibine Ayo that sparked a 7-0 run. Villanova took a 34-32 lead into halftime.
Find your composure
The second half was about keeping composure. Villanova saw an 11-point lead erased when three turnovers contributed to a 14-1 run that gave St. John’s a 62-59 lead with 6:22 left. But the Wildcats refused to surrender.
Back-to-back threes from Eric Dixon had the home crowd going bananas as Villanova regained its lead to go up 68-64 with 3:22 left to play.
“Teams are just bullying Eric,” Neptune said. “ … So much attention is going toward him, and other guys are getting open, so, you know, he does a good job.”
But it didn’t take long for Villanova to fall into the same scoring drought pattern. The Wildcats had a two-minute scoring drought, while the Red Storm scored on four of its last seven field goal attempts.
Yet, the Wildcats kept their composure.
“I think we have a big-time team,” Neptune said. “I think our guys know that on any given day we come out, we play harder together, we can win.”
Villanova ended the night shooting 53% from the field and going 11-for-24 from deep, while St. John’s shot 44.3% from the field and 11-for-37 from behind the arc.
Wooga’s World
Poplar dropped a team-high 22 points, going 9-for-14 from the field, including 2-for-4 on three-pointers.
But Poplar wasn’t entirely alone in his efforts. Dixon made some noise in the second half, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Perkins (12 points) and Jordan Longino (13) also scored in double figures for the Wildcats. Graduate guard Jhamir Brickus chipped in with five points and five assists.
St. John’s was led by Aaron Scott’s 22 and Kadary Richmond’s 17.
St. John’s leading scorer, RJ Luis, who entered Wednesday’s game averaging 17.6 points, was unusually quiet, dropping 12 points, all in the second half. Wilcher also scored 12 points.
Wooga Poplar, left, of Villanova goes up for a basket against RJ Luis, Jr. of St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
The son of one of the assistant coaches huddles with the Villanova team before their game against St. John's at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Tyler Perkins, left, of Villanova and Aaron Scott of St. John's go after a loose ball during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Wooga Poplar of Villanova dunks after coming up with a steal against St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Wooga Poplar of Villanova dunks after coming up with a steal against St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Wooga Poplar of Villanova celebrates after a 3-pointer against St. John's during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Wooga Poplar, left, and Eric Dixon of Villanova celebrate after a Poplar basket against St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
A group of Villanova came dressed in banana costumesto cheer their team on against St. John's at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Coach Kyle Neptune of Villanova expresses his anger on the lack of a foul call on St. John's during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025. Neptune was given a technical foul.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Coach Rick Pitino of St. John's instructs his players during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Jordan Longino, center, of Villanova pulls down a rebound between RJ Luis, Jr., left, and Sadiku Ilbine Ayoof St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Jordan Longino, left, of Villanova and Kadary Richmond of St. John's go after a loose ball during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Enoch Boakye, left, of Villanova celebrates after a dunk against Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Players from Villanova and St. John's battle for a rebound during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025. L-R: Aaron Scott, Eric Dixon, Enoch Boakye, Jordan Longino, and Zuby Ejiofor.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio was sitting courtside at the Villanova/St. John's game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Jhamir Brickus of Villanova dives to try and save the ball from going out of bounds during the game against St. John's in the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Jhamir Brickus of Villanova dives to try and save the ball from going out of bounds during the game against St. John's in the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Eric Dixon, center, of Villanova goes up for a shot between Sadiku Ibine Ayo, left, and Zuby Ejiofor of St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Wooga Poplar of Villanova dunks over Kadary Richmond, center, and Aaron Scott of St. John's during the 2nd half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Coach Kyle Neptune of Villanova expresses his anger on the lack of a foul call on St. John's during the first half of their Big East Conference game at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025. Neptune was given a technical foul.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Tyler Perkins, right, of Villanova is hugged by Jordan Longine after Perkins shot game them a 73-71 victory over St. John's at Finneran Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2025Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Villanova's Tyler Perkins (center) is hugged by teammate Jordan Longino after Perkins' three-pointer gave them a 73-71 victory over St. John's.Read moreCharles Fox / Staff Photographer
Up next
Villanova will take the court again Saturday against Providence (11-13, 5-8) at Amica Mutual Pavilion (6 p.m., CBS). The Wildcats defeated the Friars, 75-73, in their previous meeting on Jan. 17.
