St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
22-11
Stanford
31-2
No. 1 Stanford Takes 75-49 Victory Over No. 9 St. John's In NCAA Second Round
3/22/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 21, 2011
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STANFORD, Calif. - The St. John's women's basketball team did not let the fact that a top seed has only lost three times to a No. 8/9 side deter them as the squad went into Maples Pavilion with something to prove in Monday night's NCAA Tournament Second Round. The Red Storm forced the top-seeded Stanford Cardinals to play at a deficit for much of the first half, something the Cardinal seniors, who had boasted a 62-game win streak at home, were not used to handling. In the second half, Stanford worked hard to defend its home court and move on to the Sweet 16 as the Cardinal defeated St. John's, 75-49.
St. John's (22-11) led by eight with 9:47 left in the first half, but Stanford (32-2) rallied back and led by eight, 38-30, at the half. St. John's turned the ball over only nine times in the game, tying the second-best performance this season.
"I am disappointed our season came to an end, but it came to an end against one of the best teams in the country," remarked head coach Kim Barnes Arico, in her second-straight trip to the NCAA Round of 32. "They are an excellent team. We ran out of gas a bit and they killed us on the inside. Then when we tried to take that away, they were able to knock down those three's midway through the second half. They are an outstanding team and I am sure they are going to have success from here."
Playing in her final game for the Red Storm, senior Centhya Coco" Hart led St. John's with 15 points. Hart went 6-for-11 from the field and a perfect 3-for-3 from the free throw line for the team high. Hart was helped by junior forward Da'Shena Stevens, who played most of the game in foul trouble, with 11 points and sophomore point guard Nadirah McKenith who had 10 points, a team-best five rebounds and five assists. Hart also had five rebounds.
For Hart it was her 11th double-digit scoring effort of the season, 26th of her four-year career. Hart finished her career with 807 points, with a career-best 281 in her final season. The Memphis, Tenn., native was third on the team in scoring this season, even while suffering through a nagging shoulder injury during the middle part of the season. Hart also had a career-best 187 rebounds this season, finishing with 617. Hart and her classmate Sky Lindsay played in 132 career games, the most of any player in St. John's program history. Lindsay also started in all 132 games, also a St. John's record, and scored in all but four. Lindsay finished her final season for the Red Storm with 958 points and 216 assists.
Together Hart and Lindsay changed the face of St. John's basketball, consistently making it to the postseason four-straight years with two WNIT berths and two NCAA Tournament bids. The senior duo helped St. John's to the most BIG EAST wins in a two-year span with a 9-7 record in 2010-11 and a 12-4 record in 2009-10. Also in back-to-back years, the pair helped St. John's to 12 wins away from Carnesecca, twice, the most since the 2004-05 season.
Nnemkadi Ogwumike scored 22 points, and little sister Chiney added 13 points and 12 rebounds for Stanford. The Cardinal captured their school-record 63rd straight victory at Maples Pavilion, capping a perfect run by the seniors on their home floor for their careers - the first group in school history to accomplish that feat.
After a quick start by Stanford, St. John's came back and led for half of the first period, frustrating the fans at the Maples Pavilion. By the first media timeout, St. John's had taken an 11-7 lead after both Stevens and Hart made two unanswered driving layups. Back-to-back baskets by Stevens spurred an 11-0 run. The Red Storm led by as many as eight with under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Off the 12-minute media timeout, Hart hit a jumper with time expiring on the Red Storm's possession to extend the lead to 17-14. An Amanda Burakoski long ball from the left wing continued the Red Storm's run, and an inside jumper from McKenith gave St. John's its largest lead of the half, 22-14 with 9:47 on the clock.
Stanford rallied back to come within four 26-22, then took a 16-4 run in the last eight minutes of the half to take a 38-30 halftime lead.
A frustrated Red Storm, with Stevens playing limited time because of four fouls, saw Stanford find its bearings and dig in to score 37 second-half points, helped by the Ogwumike sisters and Kayla Pedersen who added an additional 13 points.
St. John's finished its second-consecutive successful season with many firsts, it was the first time in St. John's history the Red Storm made it to the NCAA tournament Second Round in back-to-back years. It was also the first time St. John's faced a No. 1 seed in the tournament, and the first meeting between the Red Storm and the Cardinal, and additionally the Red Storm and the Lady Raiders.
Barnes Arico continued to make her mark on the St. John's history books as she has taken the Red Storm to three NCAA Tournaments, the most of a single coach from St. John's. She also boasts a perfect record in First Round games, always advancing the Red Storm to the Round of 32. Barnes Arico was the first St. John's coach to take the Red Storm to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Appearances since Don Perrelli did it in 1983 and 1984.
In 2010-11, St. John's 3continued its successes from its historic last season, as the Red Storm was ranked for 16-straight weeks in the Associated Press Poll (including the 2009-10 season); with its highest ranking at No. 17 on Dec. 27. In the ESPN/Coaches Poll, St. John's was ranked for 18-straight weeks and continues to receive votes in the latest poll released March 14.
According to the most recent RPI data, St. John's boasted an RPI of 32 and a strength of schedule rating of 33. The Red Storm finished seventh in the BIG EAST with a 9-7 record and had its second-consecutive 20-win season, including key BIG EAST victories over then-No. 16/17 Georgetown (Feb. 13) and Rutgers (Feb. 1), both with RPI's in the top 25. STJ opened the season with a 64-50 victory over current No. 19/17 Marist (Nov. 12) at Kansas State.
With a win over Pittsburgh (Feb. 26), STJ celebrated its second-straight 20-win season, the fourth of Barnes Arico's nine-year tenure. Barnes Arico is only the second coach to have four 20-win seasons at St. John's.
