St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
16-9, 8-6BE
Villanova
13-11, 8-5BE
Villanova Outlasts St. John's, 67-56
2/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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QUEENS, N.Y. - Despite a 20-rebound, 13-point effort from junior Maya Singleton, the St. John's women's basketball team's comeback bid fell short against Villanova as the Wildcats outlasted the Red Storm, 67-56, at Carnesecca Arena Friday night.
"I thought we started slow, but really picked it up and kept pace throughout the game," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "I thought the last two minutes of the second quarter we kind of let it go a little bit … I was pleased with our effort into the fourth quarter. It was a testament to not giving up in the game."
Singleton, who recorded her first double-double as a Johnny through just 13 minutes of play, became the first Red Storm (16-9, 8-6 BIG EAST) player to bring down 20 rebounds in a game since Amber Thompson grabbed 20 boards against Seton Hall on Jan. 2, 2015. That same game, Thompson propelled herself into first place on the St. John's all-time rebounding list. The 20 rebounds are the third-highest single-game total in program history. Singleton also had a solid night from the field, converting on five of her 10 tries from the field.
Akina Wellere led the team with 16 points on 7-of-14 shooting. The sophomore from Chicago, Ill., knocked down her lone try from behind the arc and pulled down four rebounds.
Freshman Alisha Kebbe chipped in 10 points in 30 minutes of play. The freshman also grabbed seven rebounds while hitting four of her nine attempts from the field.
As a team, the Johnnies shot 36.4 percent (24-for-66) from the floor and just 25.0 percent from behind the arc (2-for-8). St. John's won the battle of the boards, 44-32, but Villanova (13-11, 8-5 BIG EAST) recorded 13 assists to the Red Storm's five.
St. John's outscored Villanova, 32-16, down low and recorded 24 second chance points to the Wildcats' two, but Villanova got a big boost from its bench as the reserves accounted for 19 points. Villanova was also hot from three-point range, converting on 10 of its 24 attempts on the night.
In a tightly contested opening period, Wellere drained a three to tie the game at 12 midway through the quarter. From there, the Wildcats outscored St. John's, 8-2, to take a 20-14 lead entering the second. Singleton got off to a hot start in the first, scoring five points and grabbing five boards in the first 10 minutes.
Villanova opened the scoring in the second, extending its lead to nine, 23-14, with 8:43 to go in the quarter. Later, St. John's cut the lead to five after Singleton converted a tough and-one and Kebbe went 1-for-2 from the line, making it 25-20. With the Wildcats leading 34-27 with less than two minutes to go before the break, Villanova knocked down a triple to go up by 10, 37-27. After Jade Walker hit a jumper to cut it back to eight, the visitors scored the next five points to bring a 42-29 lead into the locker room.
Throughout the third, the Wildcats continued to build their advantage, leading by as many as 19 (37-56) late in the period. St. John's was limited to just eight points in the quarter on 3-for-15 shooting.
In the fourth, St. John's cut a 16-point deficit to nine thanks to a 7-0 run midway through the quarter. Wellere knocked down a jumper in the paint to jumpstart the spurt. After Walker rejected a shot, Aaliyah Lewis scored three the hard way. Later, Kebbe knocked down a jumper to make it a nine-point game, 59-50. The Johnnies would get within eight on two separate occasions late, but the Wildcats held on for the win.
St. John's returns to action on Sunday when the Red Storm hosts Georgetown at 2 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena. The contest will be carried live on the BIG EAST Digital Network.
