There was a palpable buzz around the Finn Wednesday night as Villanova was set to host No. 9 St. John’s. And on this occasion, the game lived up to the hype as, after two lead changes in the final 30 seconds, the Wildcats earned a thrilling 73-71 win.

“Really proud of our guys’ effort,” Kyle Neptune said. “That’s a really tough team. I thought the guys played extremely tough early. I thought we settled in and really got to it defensively.”

Villanova played a reasonably strong first half, leading for just over 13 minutes and trailing for under four. Pretty much all the key stats were exactly where ‘Nova would like to see them: 70 percent of the Red Storm’s shots came from three (where they shoot 29.1 percent on the season), Villanova had fewer turnovers than St. John’s (7-4) and more points off turnovers (7-6) and while St. John’s was able to build an 8-2 advantage on the offensive glass, it only turned it into a 4-2 edge in second chance points. Villanova also built a solid 14-4 advantage in points in the paint. The ‘Cats were checking all the boxes regarding keys to the game.

The result was a lead that grew to 10 with 5:47 to go in the period.

The ‘Cats, however, produced a dismal stretch over the final five minutes of the period, punctuated by a 7-0 run by St. John’s that cut the lead to three. ‘Nova wouldn’t score for 4:30 during the stretch. By the time the halftime buzzer sounded, Villanova held a slim 34-32 advantage.

St. John’s was buoyed by hitting seven of its 21 threes, earning a nine-point advantage from beyond the arc. All things considered it was a disappointing spot for the Wildcats to be in at the half.

The team’s traded jabs early in the second half before Villanova slowly started to build a lead. Eventually, ‘Nova was able to land a more substantial blow, as three-pointers from Jhamir Brickus and Tyler Perkins sandwiched two free throws from Eric Dixon to produce an 8-0 run that gave Villanova its largest lead of the game (11) with 9:56 to play. Just like in the first half, however, St. John’s provided an immediate answer. And it was a big one.

By the time Villanova was able to quell the tide, St. John’s had ripped off 14 straight points, flipping Villanova’s 11-point lead into a three-point deficit with 6:22 to play. ‘Nova then answered with six straight points, retaking a three-point lead and setting up a nail-biting finish.

“We knew they were gonna make a run and I thought our guys did a good job withstanding their run and getting it done in the end,” Neptune said.

From the 4:26 mark until under the final minute Villanova led by between one and four, holding St. John’s at bay but also not being able to deliver the knockout blow. As a result, the stage was set for a potentially heartbreaking loss.

With 28 seconds left, it looked like that would become the reality. After Dixon missed the front end of a one-and-one, St. John’s drained a three to finally get over the hump. Villanova found itself trailing 71-70. But on this night, Villanova would have a hero. Tyler Perkins.

On Villanova’s ensuing possession, the ball eventually made its way to Perkins on the wing, who quickly and confidently let fly a three-point attempt that splashed through the net to give the ‘Cats a 73-71 lead. But they would still have to defend for 8.7 seconds.

They were able to get that final stop, as Simeon Wilcher missed a three. The rebound bounced harmlessly towards the corner as the clock ran out and Villanova escaped with a hard-fought signature win.

“We had a play set, but they blitzed and we said, ‘if they’re blitzing and trapping go make a play,’” Neptune said of Villanova’s final offensive play. “I thought about calling a timeout but it’s actually better it being a broken play like that, they’re really good when they’re locked in, they make it hard to get the ball in, so I just trusted them to make a play.”

The win marked the third time this season that Villanova has defeated a ranked opponent at the Pavilion, the first time it has had three such wins since the 2004-05 season. Further, it was Villanova’s second time this season that Villanova has defeated a top 10 opponent in the Pavilion. That has never happened before.

Wooga Poplar was fantastic with 22 points, six rebounds and four steals. It legitimately felt like Poplar was everywhere. Dixon added 17 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Jordan Longino added 13. Perkins picked up where he left off on Sunday, scoring 12 points on 4-5 shooting from three while chipping in three rebounds, three assists and two steals.

“I was really proud of our guys’ resolve,” Neptune said. “Good teams win games like this, and you have to have multiple games like this throughout a season to be a good team.”