St. John’s Tops Wake Forest, 82-74

Friday, November 22

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7:30 p.m.

St. John's University

3-1

Wake Forest

2-3

Wake Forest

St. John's (NY)

11/23/2019 12:37:00 AM | Women's Basketball

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Hoppie and Alston both eclipse 20-point mark in Red Storm victory

By: Victoria Lanza

Behind stellar offensive performances from Qadashah Hoppie and Alissa Alston, the St. John's women's basketball team defeated ACC foe Wake Forest, 82-74, on Friday evening at Carnesecca Arena.

"This was a big one for us," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "The beauty about this team is we continue to move forward and we have people who step up. I was really pleased with the effort and our energy level."

With 23 points on the evening, Hoppie eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third-straight game. The junior guard is the first player to put forth such an effort since former St. John's standout Danaejah Grant scored 20-plus points in a program record seven-straight games during the 2015-16 season.

Alston's 20 points marked the best of her Red Storm career. The New Haven, Conn., native drained six of her 12 tries from the field while converting on all three of her attempts from distance. The redshirt senior also knocked down all five of her shots from the charity stripe.

Friday marked the first time a pair of Johnnies scored 20 or more points in a single contest since Hoppie and Akina Wellere poured in 21 apiece against William & Mary on Nov. 17, 2017.

Two other Johnnies finished in double figures for the Red Storm, as Tiana England logged 13 points while Leilani Correa finished with 10. In addition to her double-digit performance, England stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

In her first career start for the Johnnies, Emma Nolan was dominant off the glass, tying England with a team-high six boards.

The Red Storm defense kept the Demon Deacons' offense out of rhythm, winning the turnover battle convincingly. The Johnnies forced 12 Wake Forest miscues while surrendering just eight of their own. St. John's converted those 12 visitor turnovers into 13 points.

The Demon Deacons got the scoring started early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the opening seconds, for their only lead of the game. The Johnnies responded with a 13-4 run over the next few minutes to lead, 13-6, midway through the first quarter. The two teams traded blows over the remainder of the opening stanza with the Red Storm holding on to an 18-15 advantage after 10 minutes of action.

Wake Forest drained a shot from beyond the arc to kick off the second quarter and knot the score at 18. The tie was short lived as the Johnnies unleashed six unanswered points, extending their margin to six, 24-18.

The Red Storm continued to bolster its lead, outscoring Wake Forest 23-13 in the second quarter to take a commanding 41-28 advantage at the intermission.

Alston paced the way for the Johnnies into the locker room with 16 points, knocking down five of her 10 tries from the field and connecting on all three of her attempts from distance.

Wake Forest began to chip away at the Red Storm's lead in the third quarter. The Demon Deacons would get within five, 55-50, after 30 minutes of action.

With the Red Storm leading by 12, 79-67, and 30 seconds left to play, Wake Forest made one final push. The Demon Deacons would get as close as seven, 80-73, before the Red Storm sealed the victory

The Johnnies will return to action on Monday when they close out their two-game homestand with the University of Massachusetts at 7 p.m. inside Carnesecca Arena.