The Villanova Wildcats held St. John's scoreless for the first 4:19 of overtime en route to a 98-86 win at home to open the Big East season.

JayVaughn Pinkston hit what could have been the game-winning free throws with 22 seconds left in regulation to put the Wildcats up 83-81, but the Red Storm ran the clock down on the ensuing possession and a D'Angelo Harrison drive resulted in a foul, sending him to the line. Harrison calmly drained both to contribute to his game-high 36 points.

Villanova could not get a shot off in its final possession, sending the game into the extra session, where the Wildcats took over. Darrun Hilliard gave Villanova the lead for good with a pair of free throws with 3:17 left to spark a 10-0 overtime run.

The Red Storm finally got on the board with a free throw with under a minute to go, but it was too little, too late.

Freshman Ryan Arcidiacono led Villanova with 32 points on a sizzling 7-12 from three-point range. Pinkston had 26 points off the bench.

With the win, the Wildcats have now won six straight, and their three-game skid earlier in the year that included losses to Columbia and La Salle is just a distant memory.