New York, NY – After suffering their first loss since January 3rd, St. John’s came into Madison Square Garden looking for a bounce back win vs. Kevin Willard’s Villanova Wildcats. Villanova has been one of the bigger surprises in college basketball this season being in the upper tier of the Big East so we thought we were in for a close game. However, St. John’s dominated on both ends of the floor in the first half with everyone that touched the floor providing a positive impact. Leading the way was the play of Ian Jackson and Zuby Ejiofor, Jackson in particular was extremely active in his minutes. The biggest story of the half was St. John’s defense as they forced 8 turnovers and were able to capitalize scoring 18 points off of those Wildcats mistakes. This was the key to St. John’s taking a 48-23 lead heading into the break
Unfortunately for Villanova they would continue to get outclassed in the second half by the Johnnies. St. John’s would go on to force 8 more turnovers in the half and cause havoc in transition. The duo of Jackson and Ejiofor picked up from where they left off in the first half as Jackson would finish with 19 points while also grabbing 5 steals and Zuby would have his first career triple double as well. Villanova didn’t really get any standout performances as it was a rough night for leading scorer Tyler Perkins who finished with 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting. It was a night of domination for St. John’s last night as they took all their frustration from their loss to UConn and took it out on the Wildcats winning by a final score of 89-57. This win over Villanova was their largest win of all time vs. the Wildcats as they continue on the quest to win the Big East regular season championship for the second season in a row.
St. John’s is hard to beat when they get positive contributions from Jackson and it was proven once again last night against a tough Villanova team. Jackson showed his potential as a microwave scorer with his ability to play on and off the ball. When the shot falls it opens up the best part of his game which is his ability to get to the rim. Although what impressed me the most about his performance last night was his defensive impact. The motor guarding on the ball and his activity in the passing lanes was incredible as he completely changed the momentum of this game.
Once again the favorite for this season’s Big East player of the year, Zuby Ejiofor, continued to prove why he’s one of the best players in college basketball. The impact he provides on both sides of the floor is second to none on this St. John’s team and it was fully on display last night recording a triple double with 4 stocks on the side. His performance was truly a characterization of the fact that he can do a little bit of everything on the basketball court. Ejiofor is one of the most valuable players in the country this season and has a legitimate chance to be drafted in the 1st round of the upcoming NBA Draft this June.
This article was written by Jordan Amadeo, a correspondent and scout for NetScouts Basketball. You can follow us on Instagram, or on twitter.
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