Caleb Daniels scored 17 points, Jermaine Samuels added 14 points and nine rebounds and No. 8 Villanova breezed past visiting St. John's 81-58 on Tuesday.

Collin Gillespie added 14 points and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl had 12 for the Wildcats (15-3, 10-2 Big East).

Since losing 70-59 at St. John's on Feb. 3, Villanova has won four of five games.

Julian Champagnie led St. John's with 16 points and seven rebounds but shot 5 of 18 overall and 0 of 6 from 3-point territory. Isaih Moore added 10 points.

The Red Storm (14-10, 8-9) took their second consecutive loss.

St. John's shot just 3 of 23 from beyond the 3-point arc while Villanova was 11 of 26 from long range.

Villanova jumped out to a 20-9 lead with 12:01 left in the first half thanks in large part to 10 quick points from Gillespie.

St. John's missed six of its first seven 3-point attempts as the Wildcats' defense extended deep on the perimeter.

Villanova soon extended its advantage to 31-14 and continued its strong defensive play as Champagnie missed his first three shots for the Red Storm.

The Wildcats, despite going through a stretch without a basket for more than four minutes, still led handily 42-25 at halftime.

Champagnie misfired on eight of his nine field-goal attempts in the first half but knocked down all four free throws.

Villanova pushed its lead to 49-29 less than four minutes into the second half. Samuels began to find his offensive rhythm and knocked down a pair of shots.

With the starters struggling, Moore gave St. John's a lift off the bench by hitting four of his first five shots. But the Red Storm still trailed 53-34 with 13:05 remaining.

Cole Swider responded with a 3-pointer for Villanova as it moved to a 56-34 advantage with 12:02 left.

St. John's was unable to string together a meaningful run, and the Wildcats cruised the rest of the way.

--Field Level Media