Villanova, PA (My Sportsbook) - Dante Cunningham led the way with 17 points as the 23rd-ranked Villanova Wildcats thumped the St. John's Red Storm, 76-57, at The Pavilion.

Dwayne Anderson had 14 points and Antonio Pena 13 to pair with nine rebounds for the Wildcats (14-3, 2-2 Big East), who improved to 9-1 at home this season and put a heartbreaking 61-60 setback to Louisville last weekend as the host behind them.

Corey Fisher logged 12 points in the win, Villanova's sixth in the last eight games. The Wildcats next face the fourth-ranked Connecticut Huskies on Wednesday.

D.J. Kennedy dropped a game-high 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds for the Red Storm (10-7, 1-4), who were facing their fourth straight Top-25 opponent, coming off a 67-55 setback to UConn the last time out.

Quincy Roberts scored 14 and Justin Burrell 13 with seven boards in the loss, St. John's third straight and sixth in the last seven overall, failing in its fourth attempt to notch a true road win.

The Wildcats leapt out to a 21-7 lead and Fisher's layup with a little less than five minutes left in the half gave the home team a 37-19 advantage.

A 17-point lead at the break shrank to single digits as St. John's scored the first nine points of the second half. Burrell's layup made it a 44-36 game but Villanova responded with a 7-0 spurt to restore the double-digit margin.

The Wildcats went up by 18 on a jumper from Fisher with 6:16 left to play and remained in control from there.

Game Notes

Villanova is St. John's most frequently played opponent with this being the 102nd meeting between the two. The Red Storm own a 59-43 edge in the series, but the Wildcats have taken the last five meetings...The Wildcats shot 58.8 percent from the floor compared to St. John's 38.6 percent shooting.