Simeon Wilcher may not have been a great shooter, but he contributed in other ways.
With starting point guard Davon Smith missing nearly the entire second half with a left shoulder injury, Wilcher was asked to log more minutes, and the sophomore sixth man stepped in in key moments.
Wilcher made two big plays in the Johnnies' 80-68 come-from-behind victory over Villanova at The Garden on Saturday night.
Wildcats star Eric Dixon's strip and layup with 3:30 left extended St. John's lead to three points, and with 2:05 left, Villanova was within one point before a big pull-up. He also sank a jumper.
“Sim gave us great minutes, made some big steals and did all the right things,” coach Rick Pitino said. “It may not show on the stat sheet, but he played great. I'm very, very proud of Sim.”
Wilcher only made 3-of-10 shots from the field, but that didn't discourage him.
He defended well and came through in the clutch.
Without Smith, the Johnny's driving force, Wiltcher never left the floor until he fouled out with 30 minutes left in the second half.
He was not allowed to get tired.
“I would like to thank God for the media timeout,” Wilcher quipped. “And of course the free throws. We were a little tired, but in this situation, in the heat of the moment, you kind of step away from it and just worry about the task at hand going on.” I need it.”
Freshman Jayden Glover (right wrist) appeared in the final 30 minutes of the first half.
He still experiences discomfort while shooting, but his wrist is improving.
Pitino believes he will be available for Tuesday's game against Georgetown.
Former Villanova coach Jay Wright and former Villanova star and Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson were among the 18,178 people in attendance.
Action during St. John's win over Villanova. Robert Sabo, New York Post
This was the second-largest attendance for a St. John's home game since Pitino's arrival.
The biggest one was last year's packed house at the Garden against Connecticut.
