NEW YORK -- Villanova had been living large on the other side of the 3-point line. The eighth-ranked Wildcats had made 26 3s in their last two games and they shot better than 50 per cent from beyond the arc in the wins over Providence and Seton Hall. Things were different Saturday. With St. Johns playing some tough perimeter defence, the Wildcats made just three of their 14 3-point attempts and down 56-55 with 7:44 to play. "I thought St. Johns played really well. Their defence was outstanding." Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "They did a great job of getting up on all of our people and challenging them." The Wildcats, who were doing a good job of scoring inside when the outside was dry, finally found a way to get going from the outside and a 10-1 run carried them to a 74-67 victory at Madison Square Garden. The Wildcats (15-1, 4-0 Big East) made two 3s in that run and both came off a big play by one of the teams leaders -- Ryan Arcidiacono and JayVaughn Pinkston. "Players have to make plays and JayVaughn and Ryan did," Wright said. "Im really proud of Jay to be a decision-maker not just a scorer. He kicked it out to Darren for a 3 that was a huge play." First, though, in the run was the play by Arcidiacono. He made a steal near midcourt and then took off for what looked to be a contested layup. "They are a good shot-blocking team and I knew they were coming," the 6-foot-3 guard said. "I thought I could either get it punched or bring it out. I did the smart thing and saw Kris on the other side." Freshman Kris Jenkins, who is averaging just over a 3-pointer this season, buried the 3-pointer that started the 3-point run. Pinkston made his big play after he contributed two free throws to the run. He had the ball inside and rather than go up among a bunch of big men, he passed it out to Darrun Hilliard, whose 3 gave Villanova a 63-56 lead. "Were a tough-minded team and that comes from Coach getting on us in practice and bringing us together," said Pinkston, who finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Wildcats came into the game having shot better than 50 per cent from the field and 3-point range in their last three games. Against St. Johns (9-6, 0-3) they struggled from both in the first half shooting 25.9 per cent from the field (7 of 27) and 22.2 per cent from 3 (2 of 9). The game was close through the first 12 minutes of the second half with neither team having more than a three-point lead until Villanova went on a 10-1 run that gave it a 65-57 lead with 3:13 to go. "At the end they made enough plays and then some timely 3-point daggers, St. Johns coach Steve Lavin said. "They made enough to get the win because we came up empty on our end." The Red Storm missed a lot of shots inside and they went 4:40 without a field goal during Villanovas game-deciding run. Josh Hart added 14 points for the Wildcats while Arcidiacono added 13. DAngelo Harrison had 22 points for the Red Storm, who have lost three straight, while freshman Rysheed Jordan had 12. "I expected to be 3-0 and our whole team expected to be 3-0," said JaKarr Sampson, who had 10 points and nine rebounds. "We have to play with energy and heart, play with a chip on our shoulder. We have to clean up a few things down the stretch. Thats the main thing." Jenkins hit a 3 to start the big run and after two free throws by Pinkston, Hill hit his first 3 in five attempts to make it 63-56 and St. Johns called a timeout. Harrison made one of two free throws and Hilliard capped the rally with two free throws with 3:13 left that made it 65-57. The Red Storm, who finished 2 of 11 from 3-point range and were outrebounded 48-39, got as close as four points the rest of the way. Villanova finished at 35.2 per cent from the field (19 of 54) and 31.3 per cent from 3-point range (5 of 16), breaking their streak of three consecutive games at 50 per cent or better. Villanovas only loss this season was at No. 2 Syracuse. This was the 1,600th win for the Villanova program. Mark Aguirre Jersey . After Mariota was pushed around by Stanford on Thursday, finishing 20/34 with 250 yards and two touchdowns in Oregons Title hope-crushing defeat, hes going to need a poor performance or two from the remaining frontrunners to have a shot at the most coveted individual trophy in college sports. Michael Finley Jersey . Goodell said in an ESPN Radio interview Monday (http://es.pn/1gkbauy ) that participants played harder and made the game very competitive. Goodell says he had fun watching the game Sunday and thinks fans did, too. https://www.cheapmavericks.com/223l-dennis-rodman-jersey-mavericks.html . City has reached new heights under manager Manuel Pellegrini as they transition from big spending/immediate impact to perennial contender. Yaya Toures seeming discontent Tuesday may complicate that, as does the little issue of Financial Fair Play. Dallas Mavericks Pro Shop . -- Masahiro Tanaka knows that first appearance in a spring training game for the New York Yankees will be scrutinized. Jamal Mashburn Jersey . According to various reports, the striker is about to sign a five-and-a-half year extension with Manchester United worth a reported 300,000 pounds a week that would see him at Old Trafford until 2019.MADRID, Spain -- FIFAs decision to slap Barcelona with a transfer ban is a clear message to Europes top clubs to follow its regulations when signing international youth players. The governing body of world football banned the Spanish champions from any activity in the next two transfer windows for breaching international regulations in signing up to 10 youth players. Specialist Spanish sports lawyers contacted by The Associated Press on Friday said it was a complicated case in which Barcelonas chances of prevailing on appeal were slim, although the message may already have been sent. "This is a very difficult case and its going to be very complicated for Barcelona to win it," Jose Lasa Azpeitia of Laffer Abogados said. "FIFA is showing its not afraid to go after you regardless of how big an institution you are." Barcelona labelled itself a "victim of a grave injustice" and has staunchly proclaimed it will defend its La Masia youth system, which has produced such players as Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez. Rodrigo Arias Grillo of Sportia Law called the ban a "landmark case" in dealing with international regulations over youth player movement. "The situation is very serious. Its a knock on the door for clubs that have sports models-infrastructures that deal with youth. The message is that no one is beyond their regulations," Arias Grillo told the AP. "It touches on the grassroots of high profile clubs, which is very interesting. The impact of this will be seen in the way elite teams manage their grassroots development and associations with other countries.dddddddddddd" The two lawyers agree that Barcelonas hopes of reversing the ban are slim, although Lasa Azpeitia pointed to a case involving French club Bordeaux that could provide precedent. The Court for Arbitration of Sport sided with Bordeaux after FIFA denied the license of Argentine teenager Valentin Vada, who held an Italian passport but was never registered with the Italian federation when he moved from South America to France. It took two years for Vada to officially join Bordeaux, in January 2013. "To have general rules is not necessarily good -- every case can be evaluated by different circumstances," Arias said. "You can have a general system for regulating international transfers but each situation, on a case-by-case basis, has to be well examined." Barcelona has been marred by off-field problems since its signed Brazil striker Neymar last year. Neymars transfer led to president Sandro Rosells resignation, tax fraud charges against the club and a pay-off of more than 13.55 million euros ($18.6 million) to Spanish tax authorities. Barcelonas response to the charges -- which could hamper their planning for next season when it needs a new goalkeeper and defender -- makes sense, guilty or not. "Everyone is acting how they need to. They are defending La Masia, which is their model," Lasa Azpeitia said. "Barca is protecting the kids, educating them and not exploiting them. This is the model they are famous for." ' ' '