St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
17-3, 5-2
Syracuse
16-4, 3-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. John's | 23 | 45 | 68 |
| Syracuse | 24 | 41 | 65 |
Red Storm Defeats Syracuse 68-65 In Thriller
1/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2010
SYRACUSE, N.Y. - Trailing by one point with seven seconds left in regulation, Shenneika Smith drained the go-ahead free throws and Nadirah McKenith added two more with .03 seconds left to seal the 68-65 victory for the St. John's women's basketball team over Syracuse in a thriller at the Carrier Dome on Wednesday night.
With the win, the Red Storm improves to 17-3, 5-2 BIG EAST. With the loss, the Orange's record drops to 16-4, 3-4 BIG EAST.
The story of the day was Smith's offensive production, as she took control of the game late, scoring seven of the last 12 points for St. John's. The rookie scored 18 of her career- and game-high 28 points in the second half, and concluded the game perfect from the free-throw line, going 8-of-8.
Kelly McManmon had a strong performance for the Red Storm off the bench, scoring all 12 of her points in the final frame to finish as the second-leading scorer. The senior was 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-5 from long distance and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe.
Defensively, Da'Shena Stevens led the team in rebounding, grabbing a game-high 13 boards in the victory. The sophomore also nearly recorded a double-double with a eight points.
McKenith was a key contributor in the win, scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds, while recording a team-high six assists and four steals in 33 minutes of play.
The game was close from the start as the teams traded baskets to open. The first half featured nine lead changes and four tie scores. Syracuse went into the break leading by one, 24-23. Smith scored 10 of the Red Storm's points while Stevens contributed six and grabbed eight rebounds.
The opening of the second half mirrored the first as a back-and-forth affair ensued out of the break. With the Orange leading 37-36, McManmon drained a trey and Smith followed with a layup to give STJ a five-point advantage, 41-37. After SU scored a quick basket, Smith completed a three-point play that keyed a 9-2 run that gave STJ a 50-41 lead with 10:31 remaining.
The Orange did not stay down for long, going on its own run to regain the lead, 55-52, at the 6:01 mark. The teams continued to match baskets until the Red Storm went on an 8-3 run to jump in front 64-63 with 1:20 remaining. On the next possession, Syracuse's Nicole Michael hit a jumper to put the Orange up by one, 65-64.
The Red Storm got the ball and charged down the court when Smith was fouled. She drained both of her free throws to give St. John's the 66-65 lead. The Orange turned the ball over on the ensuing possession and fouled McKenith, who connected on both of her free throws to ice the game.
St. John's will return to Carnesecca Arena on Saturday and welcome Providence at 2 p.m.
