PHILADELPHIA -- It turns out the only thing holding St. John’s back was a lack of top-five opponents.
After starting 0-11 in Big East play, the Red Storm won their second straight game against a top-five team on Wednesday, beating No. 1 Villanova 79-75.
St. John’s knocked off then-No. 4 Duke on Saturday at Madison Square Garden 81-77.
Shamorie Ponds continued his hot streak, scoring 26 points -- after dropping 33 points against Duke and 31 earlier last week against Xavier. Justin Simon finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, while Marvin Clark had 15 points, including a key basket-and-foul with 1:20 to go after Villanova had cut a 9-point lead to 1.