St. John’s Suffers First Loss of the Season at James Madison, 76-73, on Sunday

Sunday, November 17

Harrisonburg, Va. (Convocation Center)

2 p.m.

St. John's University

2-1,0-0Big East

James Madison

3-1,0-0CAA

St. John's (NY)

James Madison

St. John’s Suffers First Loss of the Season at James Madison, 76-73, on Sunday

11/17/2019 6:06:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Qadashah Hoppie finishes with a team-high 22 points

By: Victoria Lanza

With St. John's leading, 57-52, after 30 minutes of action, James Madison outscored the Red Storm, 24-16, in the fourth quarter to claim the victory, 76-73, on Sunday afternoon.

Despite the loss, junior guard Qadashah Hoppie eclipsed the 20-point mark for the second-straight game, finishing with a team-high 22 points. The Staten Island native converted on seven of her 18 tries from the field, connecting on five of her seven attempts from distance.

Three other Johnnies finished in double figures as Unique Drake picked up the first double-digit performance of her St. John's career. The Red Storm guard made all four of her tries from the field for 11 points.

Alissa Alston and Leilani Correa joined Hoppie and Drake in double figures, logging 10 points apiece for the Red Storm.

Alisha Kebbe led the way for the Johnnies in rebounds with eight, while Tiana England dished out a game-high five assists.

The Red Storm's defense forced 20 turnovers for the second-straight contest, turning those miscues into 23 points.

Both teams were scoreless in the early going until James Madison broke the deadlock with a layup just over a minute into the game. This ignited an 8-0 for JMU.

The Johnnies snapped the Dukes' first-quarter streak at the seven-minute mark, as Kebbe made drive to the basket to get the Johnnies on the board. This started a 6-0 breakaway for the Red Storm, to pull the game to within two, 8-6.

With under three minutes to play in the opening quarter and the score knotted at 12, Correa netted a jumper to give the Johnnies their first lead of the game, 14-13. The Dukes responded with five unanswered points down the stretch to lead, 18-14, after 10 minutes of action.

The second quarter was a back-and-forth battle that saw four lead changes and a pair of ties. The Johnnies outscored the Dukes, 20-15, over the second stanza to lead, 34-33, at the half.

At the intermission, Hoppie paced the way for the Johnnies in scoring with 10 points, knocking down four of her nine tries from the field. The Red Storm's defense, which has played a key role in its early success this season, forced 14 turnovers in the first half alone.

Coming out of the locker room, the Johnnies fired off nine unanswered points to take a double-digit lead, 44-33, the largest of the game. JMU continued to test the Red Storm's defense over the remainder of the third, cutting the Johnnies advantage to as little as three before St. John's headed into the final 10 minutes leading, 57-52.

James Madison took off on a 6-0 run to start the fourth quarter as the Dukes regained the lead, 58-57. The Johnnies continued to battle down the stretch, but could not escape the setback.

The Johnnies will return to action on Friday, Nov. 22, when they welcome Wake Forest to Carnesecca Arena for a 7:30 p.m. contest.