RJ Luis scored 23 of his St. John’s career-high 30 points after halftime as the Johnnies won for the ninth time in 10 games, beating Villanova, 80-68.

In a classic Big East rivalry against Villanova at Madison Square Garden, St. John's needed someone to go to after point guard Deivon Smith suffered a shoulder

RJ Luis Jr. withstood shooting struggles and scored 19 points, including the tiebreaking free throws with 6:16 remaining as St. John's rallied from a 15-point deficit and earned a 63-58 victory over Georgetown on Tuesday in New York.

St. John's coach Rick Pitino only saw glimpses of RJ Luis Jr.'s capabilities last year because of a shin injury that cost him 10 games and persisted through the season.