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PHILADELPHIA -- Strong defence makes St. Johns a tough opponent, even if the Red Storm dont get a win to show for it. Darrun Hilliard scored 18 points, Ryan Arcidiacono had 12 and No. 9 Villanova beat St. Johns 57-54 on Saturday. It was the second straight win for Villanova (24-3, 12-2 Big East) since its second loss of the season to No. 11 Creighton. "That was old-school, Big East basketball," Villanova coach Jay Wright said. "Ugly. Great defence. Physical. You had to be physically and mentally tough to play that game. It was the Big East. Im glad to see our conference at that level. It was just the kind of game in the 80s when I was an assistant here." DAngelo Harrison had 15 points for St. Johns (18-10, 8-7), Rysheed Jordan scored 13 and JaKarr Sampson had 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Red Storms six-game winning streak ended. "It was a Big East battle right to the end," Red Storm coach Steve Lavin said. "We punched and counter-punched right until the end in a hostile environment." Though moral victories dont show up in the standings, games like this increase St. Johns NCAA tournament chances. "If you know basketball, our team is coming together," Lavin said. "Now its up to us how we play the last two weeks." Wright thinks the Red Storm should get an invitation to the field of 68. "I think we can get five teams in on a year when our conference is down," Wright said. "Rivalries are getting interesting. Im getting excited about this league." Arcidiacono banked a three-pointer from the top of the circle to give Villanova a 53-50 lead with 3:43 left. After the Red Storm missed a shot, JayVaughn Pinkston grabbed two key offensive rebounds for the Wildcats and Hilliard made a free throw. St. Johns went 3:36 without a point before Sampsons free throw with 1:14 remaining. Arcidiacono then threw away the inbound pass following a timeout, and Harrison made a driving layup to cut it to 54-53. Daniel Ochefu made one of two free throws to give Villanova a two-point lead with 34 seconds left. With a chance to tie or give the Red Storm a lead, Phil Greene IV was called for travelling with 14 seconds to go. Arcidiaconos free throw made it 56-53. But the Red Storm couldnt get a three-point shot off and Harrison was fouled going for a layup with 1.5 seconds left. He made the first free throw and purposely missed the second, but a lane violation gave the ball to Villanova. "We were trying to get a three, but just couldnt do it," Harrison said. Josh Hart made one free throw and the Red Storm missed a desperation three-point shot at the buzzer. "Its frustrating," Sampson said. "We knew it was a big game. We just have to look forward to the next one." St. Johns came in allowing the second-fewest points in the nation (68.0). They also had the top field goal percentage defence and three-point percentage defence. It showed as the Red Storm forced 15 turnovers and held the Wildcats 23 points below their average (80.7). The Wildcats tied for the fewest points they have scored in a win this season. James Bell hit a three-pointer to give Villanova its biggest lead, 44-38, in the second half. But the Red Storm answered with a 9-3 run capped by SirDominic Pointers driving layup that tied it at 47. After both teams traded misses and turnovers for two minutes, Bell drained another three for a 50-47 with 5:52 left. Villanova, which beat St. Johns 74-67 at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 11, jumped to an 8-0 lead behind two threes by Hilliard. The Red Storm scored the next nine points and the teams played a tight, defensive first half that ended with Villanova leading 28-27. .C. -- Lucy Li made two double bogeys, a triple bogey and finished her historic round at the U. . - The New York Rangers have momentum, a unified locker room and Henrik Lundqvist. . The No. 23 seed at the first Grand Slam event of the tennis season has worked out all the details, from his training regime right down to where hes going to eat dinner. . Halak did not get the start in the Washington Capitals Tuesday night game against the St. . Roy says he will know more about Duchenes potential playing status Sunday. Duchene has been out since damaging the MCL in his left knee when he ran into a teammate against San Jose on March 29. Hes been skating on his own all week, before joining the team Saturday hours before a pivotal game in a series tied at 2.TORONTO -- Ask people who know Bradley Orr and the reviews of the veteran English fullback are glowing. A great teammate. An experienced professional. A player to watch and learn from. "Hes a fabulous member of any squad," said Toronto FC captain Steven Caldwell, whos known the 31-year-old Orr for more than 15 years and shares an agent. "A real character, a real winner." That character, in part, was forged the hard way. As a young man, he made mistakes that led to jail. Then the Liverpool native learned from them. If Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment is looking for someone to mentor 21-year-old Raptors centre Jonas Valanciunas, charged this week with drunk driving, it probably need look no further than its sister soccer team and Orr. He made headlines in 2006 when he was one of three Bristol City players jailed for their part in a nightclub brawl. A fourth player was given community service. Orr and a teammate were sentenced to 28 days in jail. Wales international David Partridge was given two months behind bars. The players were also suspended and fined two weeks wages by their club. "Soccer Heroes in Prison Shame" was the headline in Englands Sun tabloid. It didnt help that just days before sentencing, Orr was sent off for attempting to head-butt a teammate during a nationally televised game. Some eight years later, Orr believes his biggest mistake was just being at the Romeo Browns nightclub. "Not a lot of people actually know the story and what happened," said Orr, who doesnt shy away from his past or his missteps. A teammate -- "not necessarily a friend" -- was thrown out of the nightclub and then became involved in a brawl with bouncers, two of whom were also charged later. "Things got out of hand. It was wrong place wrong time," said Orr. "He ended up getting a beating. I tried to stop it, got caught up in it and ended up finding myself in prison at the age of 23. "Not ideal but I probably wouldnt change it, because from that, a lot of thought and reflection went on. I decided there and then its either give it everything youve got and try to make the most of this amazing opportunity that Id been given. Or Im going to find myself like many other lads around the same age, and certainly from the same city, on the scrap heap where youve got a bit of ability, youve got the talent but you havent quite got the mentality or the maturity or the discipline to succeed." Orr said he made "little adjustments," worked on his weaknesses and "really knuckled down and gave it everything." "Its eight years down the line and Im still playing football for a living. Ive got an amazing family here with me. Ive got a lot of people who mean a lot to me." Many of those stuck by him during those "dark times." "I was a young lad, I was distraught. I thought my career was finished. You think the worst at that age and I had 23 hours a day to think about it in a cell." "Im just glad I learned from a mistake, in a positive way," he added. "The outcome since then has pretty good so far. I think Ive had a decent enough career and oone I can look back (at) with pride.dddddddddddd "Even though that was an isolated incident and Im not proud of it, I certainly wouldnt change it because its probably helped make me who I am." Orr pleaded guilty based on advice that he would get some kind of community service. His father and girlfriend came to court, expecting to drive him home. Instead he was taken directly below to the cells. Orrs soccer journey featured stints with Newcastle United, Burnley, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town and Blackpool before joining Toronto FC on loan in late January. He spent the bulk of his career with Bristol City, playing more than 225 games between 2004 and 2010. At 31, Orr is one of the grey beards on Toronto FCs squad. Only Dwayne De Rosario (35), Caldwell (33) and Jermain Defoe (by less than a month) are older. Orr showed his value Saturday in Columbus when injuries and suspension pressed him into service as centre back, alongside 21-year-old rookie Nick Hagglund. Toronto blanked the previously unbeaten Crew 2-0 with Orr one of three TFC players subsequently named to the MLS team of the week. The performance out of position is just why manager Ryan Nelsen acquired Orr. "For me, we needed just hardened guys who have kind of seen both sides of the tracks, if you know what I mean," Nelsen said. "Just so our young guys can learn what it takes to be a pro, to win away (games), to do the little things that it takes to be a good team. And you generally learn that from experience." Nelsen knows talent is not everything. Character plays a huge role in how far a player goes. "Our young guys have got to see that. Because its the best lesson to learn, that theyve got to do a lot of ugly stuff before they can kind of get to that top." Ask Orr about Hagglunds performance in Columbus and the veteran beams. "He was fantastic. I was delighted for Nick. His attitude towards his profession is absolutely (a) different class. He comes in every day really willing to learn and work hard. And theyre the type of lads who you want to see do well." One of the reasons Orr opted for MLS was he wanted to take himself out of his comfort zone and test himself. He has not regretted the move. Orr, who came to Canada with his wife and five-year-old twin boys, has marvelled at the passion of Torontos fans for sports. "Its really mind-blowing," said Orr. He is also blown away by Toronto FCs set-up "How can you not love this place?" he asked, pointing at the clubs well-appointed training centre. "The facilities are world-class. The citys fantastic." "So far Im loving it. Hopefully that can continue and I cant see no reason why not," he added. Orr has jumped right into Torontos sports community, taking in both Leafs and Raptors games. Hes also not afraid of getting out among the fans. A lifelong "big, big" Liverpool fan -- his 21-year-old nephew Jon Flanagan plays for the Reds -- Orr recently found out where the local supporters club was based. So he and Caldwell, with sons in tow, dropped in to see a recent Sunday game over breakfast. ' ' '
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