St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
18-8, 9-6BE
Villanova
16-11, 10-5BE
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 28 | 23 | 51 |
| St. John's | 27 | 29 | 56 |
St. John's Pushes Past Villanova, 56-51
2/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - Aliyyah Handford scored a game-high 25 points and pulled down eight boards, leading a second-half charge that resulted in the Red Storm topping Villanova, 56-51, on Friday evening at Carnesecca Arena.
The Newark, N.J., native scored five of the Red Storm's final eight points down the stretch.
"This was a very important game for us and the next one is an important one too," said Handford. "We just take it as a win and now we go on to the next game."
Two other members of the Red Storm (18-8, 9-6 BIG EAST) finished in double figures. Jade Walker tallied 10 points on the evening, including two critical free throws that resulted from an offensive rebound in the final minute. Aaliyah Lewis also chipped in 10 points for the Red Storm, converting on four of her seven shot attempts from the floor without allowing a turnover 40 minutes of action.
"This was an extremely important game for us and we knew it coming in," said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. "This was the first time in a while that we had the fire and sharpness we needed to win a big game and that showed a lot for us. The way that we defended tonight has defined us all year. I was really happy with our effort. We stepped up today and I couldn't be happier. Now we turn the page to Sunday."
The Red Storm reached more than one milestone on Friday night, as Amber Thompson became the first player in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds. In addition to Thompson's prowess on the glass, Handford recorded her 500th point of the season, making her one of only four players in program history to amass multiple 500-point seasons in a St. John's career. Handford joins an elite cohort that includes Debbie Beckford, Ling-Ling Hou and Cozette Ballentine, the top-three scorers in program history.
Danaejah Grant finished the contest with seven points, six rebounds and three assists in a full 40-minute effort.
Villanova (16-11, 10-5 BIG EAST) got off to a hot start, connecting on six of its first seven from the floor to jump ahead 15-6 less than five minutes into the contest.
From there, Walker and Handford combined to score six unanswered for the Red Storm, trimming the deficit to three, 15-12, with just over 12 minutes to go until the break.
Villanova rebuilt its lead to as many as eight, 24-16, with 7:46 remaining in the first half, but the Red Storm rattled off nine in a row over the next five minutes, holding the Wildcats scoreless to take its first lead of the game, 25-24, on a Lewis jumper with just under three minutes to go.
The two teams traded buckets over the closing minutes of the half, but a last-second field goal gave Villanova a 28-27 lead heading into the intermission.
The Red Storm and Wildcats battled in the opening minutes of the latter stanza, as a Handford layup through contact knotted the game at 33 just before the half's first media timeout.
With the score tied at 36 a few minutes later, Handford tallied the game's next four points before Grant added another jumper, putting the Red Storm up 42-36 with 11 minutes to go.
Down six, Alex Louin chipped in five points as the Wildcats rattled off 10 in a row over the next three and a half minutes of play, moving ahead by four, 46-42, with 7:55 to go.
Trailing by four, it was the Red Storm's turn to fire off a run, as St. John's scored six in a row to quickly regain the lead, 48-46, on a Grant jumper with five minutes remaining.
Taylor Holeman tied the game for Villanova on a baseline jumper with 3:07 to go and the two teams remained scoreless for over a minute and a half before Handford stole the ball from Katherine Coyer at midcourt at took it all the way to the hole to put her team back ahead by two, 50-48.
The Wildcats tied the game once again, 50-50, with just under a minute to go on a pair of free throws, but Handford took the game into her own hands in response. On the next offensive possession, she drove through a handful of Villanova players on her way to yet another bucket in the paint before drawing a charge on the ensuing defensive series.
With Crystal Simmons at the line, Walker picked up a huge offensive rebound off the missed front end of a one-and-one before drawing a foul, subsequently nailing both free throws and extending the lead to four, 54-50, with 26.9 ticks left on the clock.
A few more tries from the charity stripe would give the game its closing margin of 56-51 in favor of the Red Storm.
St. John's returns to action on Sunday afternoon, playing host to Georgetown at 2 p.m. The final home game of the regular season, Sunday will mark Senior Day at Carnesecca Arena.
