St. John's Stuns No. 8/7 Marquette, 81-74, at Carnesecca Arena

Friday, February 15

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7:00 PM

St. John's University

13-12, 6-8

No. 8/7 Marquette University

21-4, 12-1

Marquette

St. John's

St. John's Stuns No. 8/7 Marquette, 81-74, at Carnesecca Arena

2/15/2019 11:09:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes: St. John's vs. No. 8/7 Marquette Postgame Highlights Postgame Press Conference

Johnnies record first win over top-10 opponent since 2012

By: Victoria Lanza

Behind a 20-point performance from Tiana England, the St. John's women's basketball team rallied from a double-digit deficit to upset No. 8/7 Marquette, 81-74, marking its first victory over a top-10 opponent in nearly a decade.

The Red Storm's win marked the best for the program in terms of national rankings since Feb. 18, 2012, when the Johnnies knocked off No. 2/2 UConn. In that game former St. John's standout and current assistant coach Shenneika Smith netted a last second three-pointer to snap the Huskies' 99-game home-court winning streak.

With a victory over the Golden Eagles, the Johnnies have now captured four-straight conference wins, handing Marquette its first loss of BIG EAST play. It also marked the first time this season that the Golden Eagles have fallen to an unranked opponent.

"I couldn't be happier with our performance," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "This is, in my head coaching career, one of the biggest wins we've had at Carnesecca Arena. As I told our team in the locker room, as far as playing a top-10 team, being able to compete the way we did, I could not be more proud of them."

England eclipsed the 20-point mark for just the second time in her career, draining 8-of-11 from the floor. The Stamford, Conn., native also dished out a team-high six assists, along with recording a trio of rebounds, one block and one steal.

The Johnnies were clicking on all cylinders tonight, as three other players finished in double figures. Alisha Kebbe scored seven of her 17 points in the third quarter alone. The junior guard made six of her 14 shots from the floor including a pair from three-point range. The Philadelphia native registered six boards in 35 minutes of action.

Joining England and Kebbe in double figures, Qadashah Hoppie poured in 13 points, while Curteeona Brelove drained 10 en route to the Red Storm's victory.

The two teams traded blows in the early going of the first quarter before Marquette outscored the Red Storm, 9-3, down the stretch to take a double-digit lead, 24-14, after ten minutes.

The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 30-16 in the opening minutes of the second quarter before the Johnnies rattled off a 7-0 run. Akina Wellere, Kebbe and Hoppie all found the bottom of the net to cut Marquette's lead to seven, 30-23, with under six minutes to play in second frame.

The Johnnies and the Golden Eagles traded buckets over the remainder of the half, with Marquette leading by eight, 40-32, at the intermission.

Hoppie paced the way for the Red Storm at the break with 10 points on a 4-of-7 shooting effort from the floor, draining two of her four attempts from long distance.

Coming out of the locker room Kebbe drained a shot from beyond the arc in the opening seconds, pulling the game within five, 40-35. The two teams battled over the next few minutes before the Red Storm fired off five unanswered points to cut Marquette's lead to two, 48-46.

With under three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Johnnies drained eight unanswered points, taking their first lead of the night, 56-54. With 19 seconds left on the clock, the Golden Eagles found the bottom of the net to tie the game at 56.

St. John's was down, 67-66, midway through the fourth quarter, as Jasmine Sina netted a shot from downtown, igniting a 9-1 run for the Johnnies.

With under three minutes to play and St. John's leading, 73-68, England converted on a layup, extending the Johnnies' lead to 75-68. Marquette could get no closer than five the rest of the way.

The Johnnies will return to action when they welcome DePaul to Madison Square Garden on Sunday. The game, which is part of a doubleheader with the men's team is set to begin at 1 p.m. on FS2.