There was less than a minute left in the game when Joel Soriano was the last to leave the game.
St. John's held a big lead against Villanova and his job was done.
Before he took his seat, Red Storm fans recognized his performance and gave the center a huge ovation.
The Yonkers native smiled as he recalled that moment and what it felt like.
“I just said, 'Finally,'” Soriano recalled. “'Finally, we got a rebound game. Too much time has passed.'”
After three straight losses began to put a strong first season in jeopardy for coach Rick Pitino's Johnnys, Soriano was the only one feeling relieved after defeating the Wildcats 70-50 in front of a crowd of 12,859. It wasn't. garden.
Coach Pitino said this is a much-needed game for St. John's ahead of a week off. Soriano erased his recent slump and ensured Pitino's team won.
The Red Storm's leading scorer and rebounder found the game at exactly the right time, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds as St. John's defeated Villanova for the first time since the 1992-93 season.
Among the night's positives: the Johnnies limited the Wildcats to 16 percent 3-point shooting, won the rebound battle by 19, and Jordan Dingle's return from a bout with COVID-19. Soriano had the most, finishing with 12 points and four rebounds, along with four assists.
For the second time, he surpassed Villanova forward Eric Dixon (16 points).
Soriano himself hasn't been like that lately, averaging 11.5 and 7.7 rebounds over the past four games, losing to lesser players.
Soriano was clearly overthinking and letting the mistake go instead of moving on to the next play.
“Honestly, most of the plays that have been happening lately have really been on me,” said Soriano, who made 8 of 9 field goals. “I knew I could be much better than I am now. I have a lot of respect for my teammates because they pushed me to be better today and they gave me great Because you showed up.”
In this game as well, substitutions were made midway through the second half when the balance was maintained. Soriano had 15 points and eight rebounds after halftime, scoring five straight points in a 19-5 run that turned the game around and put the Wildcats away.
Over the final 10:02, St. John's (13-7, 5-4) defeated Villanova 28-13, beating its Big East rival by 20 points for the first time since 1998.
“We had some great people come out to play tonight,” Pitino said. “He understands how important this game is for us and he was great. I'm really happy for him, happy with his play and happy with the team's overall play. We lost a tough game at the buzzer, but there were no casts tonight. [doubt] Who will win the match? ”
Soriano shined, but he also had a lot of help.
Dingle made the change after missing the past two games. Glen Taylor Jr. had an expanded role off the bench, scoring nine points. St. John's outscored Villanova (11-8, 4-4) by 17 points in 19 minutes.
The Johnnies accomplished the little things that were missing in recent one-point losses to No. 14 Marquette and No. 17 Creighton.
They outscored the Wildcats in the paint (30-24), off the bench (26-14) and in second-chance points (17-14).
“I kept reminding them about the game against Marquette and how they played in the second half, where they scored 18 of 22 points. I told them rebounding and defense were going to win this game,” Pitino said. “We outscored them 42-23 and had 17 assists. I thought these guys were great. Their full-court pressure was great. The Garden was great. They deserved the win.”
Senior guard Nahiem Alleyne (right ankle sprain) missed the game. He had trained beforehand but was unable to play. Coach Pitino expects him to return to practice on Friday. … Knicks players and Villanova alumni Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Ryan Arcidiacono were in attendance. So did Nets winger Mikal Bridges.
