MBB Minute: Villanova made it a happy homecoming for head coach Kevin Willard, downing Seton Hall, 64-56, in Newark.  The Wildcats are now 10-2, while the Pirates move to 11-2.  St. John's cruised to an 85-59 win over Harvard in the non-conference finale for the Red Storm.

Villanova 64, Seton Hall 56 - Box Score 
Villanova used a strong defensive effort to earn its first BIG EAST victory of the season. There were four lead changes through the first five and a half minutes of play before five straight from Nova would give it the lead for good and a 31-27 halftime edge.  The Wildcats would push the lead to as many as 20 in the second half, but the Pirates continued to battle, using a late 10-0 run to cut the deficit to single digits.  Acaden Lewis led a balanced offensive attack for Villanova, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals.  Bryce Lindsay made three 3-pointers, scoring 15 points, while Matt Hodge had 12 points and six boards and Duke Brennan 10 points and nine rebounds.  For the Hall, Elijah Fisher tallied 13 points and Josh Rivera 10, while Stephon Payne grabbed 10 rebounds.

St. John's 85, Harvard 59 - Box Score 
After trailing 13-5 early on, the Red Storm closed the first half on a 20-2 run - and outscored Harvard 61-30 over the final 26:56 - to cruise to victory in its non-conference finale.  A trio of Johnnies - Zuby Ejiofor, Ian Jackson, and Bryce Hopkins - tallied 14 points in the win, while Joson Sanon added 10.  Ejiofor added nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals, while Jackson made 4-of-8 from beyond the arc as SJU connected on nearly 40% from the perimeter in the win - the 19th straight for St. John's at Carnesecca Arena.

-----
The BIG EAST is off for the next six days due to the Holiday Break and will return to action on Tuesday, Dec. 30 with a pair of games - Seton Hall at Marquette and Butler at Creighton.  We wish everyone a very Happy and Safe Holiday Season!