St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Tops Villanova, 66-62
2/22/2019 10:35:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Johnnies finish in double figures en route to Red Storm's crucial conference victory
Tied at 62 with 37 seconds to play, the St. John's women's basketball team used a clutch bucket and a pair of free throws from Alisha Kebbe followed by a spectacular defensive effort from Akina Wellere to defeat Villanova, 66-62, at Finneran Pavilion on Friday night.
The win marked the Red Storm's first time defeating its longtime conference foe at Villanova since Jan. 22, 2014.
Junior guard Kebbe proved magnificent for the Red Storm, tallying a team-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. In addition to her scoring touch, Kebbe also recorded five rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks in 33 minutes of action.
Tiana England, the BIG EAST leader in assists, stuffed the stat sheet for the Red Storm with 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The redshirt sophomore from Stamford, Conn., made seven of her 14 attempts from the floor.
Wellere and Curteeona Brelove joined England and Kebbe in double figures, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
As a team, St. John's shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the floor, knocking in a season-high 48 points in the paint.
The Red Storm defense kept Villanova's offense out of rhythm, winning the turnover battle convincingly. The Johnnies forced 18 Villanova miscues while surrendering just 12 of their own, converting those 18 home-team turnovers into 24 points.
In addition, the Johnnies registered 10 thefts on the night, marking the fourth time this season that the Red Storm has finished with 10 or more steals in a single contest.
The two programs traded blows in the early going of the first quarter before the Johnnies pieced together an 11-3 run to lead, 15-9, with just under three minutes to play in the first frame. The Wildcats responded with an 8-2 run of their own to knot the game at 17 after 10 minutes of action.
The back-and-forth battle carried over into the second quarter with Johnnies maintaining the lead through the first half of the second stanza. Midway through the quarter, the Wildcats went on a 9-2 tear to tie the game at 31 with 28 seconds to play.
With the clock winding down and the intermission approaching, Brelove netted a shot to send the Johnnies into the locker room with a 33-31 advantage on the Wildcats.
After 20 minutes of action, Wellere paced the way for the Red Storm with 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. The Johnnies defense posed a threat on the Wildcats in the opening half, forcing 12 Villanova turnovers, converting those miscues into 16 points.
Coming out of the intermission, the Johnnies continued to lead, 37-33, with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter. However, over the next few minutes, the Wildcats used a 14-2 run to take their largest lead of the night, 47-39, with 2:42 left in the third frame.
With under three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Johnnies battled back, unleashing a 9-1 run down the stretch to tie the game at 48 after 30 minutes of action. England capped off the Johnnies' late 9-1 run with a beyond the arc buzzer beater.
The momentum carried over into the final frame for the Red Storm, as the Johnnies unleashed six unanswered points early in the fourth quarter to regain the lead, 54-48.
The home team continued to battle back, tying the game for the ninth time on the evening at 62 with 37 seconds left to play. The Red Storm owned the court over the final seconds, as Kebbe netted four points before Wellere came up clutch with a crucial steal to ultimately lift the Red Storm to victory.
St. John's will wrap up its final road swing of the regular season at Georgetown on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on FS2.
The win marked the Red Storm's first time defeating its longtime conference foe at Villanova since Jan. 22, 2014.
Junior guard Kebbe proved magnificent for the Red Storm, tallying a team-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. In addition to her scoring touch, Kebbe also recorded five rebounds, four steals and a pair of blocks in 33 minutes of action.
Tiana England, the BIG EAST leader in assists, stuffed the stat sheet for the Red Storm with 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. The redshirt sophomore from Stamford, Conn., made seven of her 14 attempts from the floor.
Wellere and Curteeona Brelove joined England and Kebbe in double figures, finishing with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
As a team, St. John's shot 54.7 percent (29-of-53) from the floor, knocking in a season-high 48 points in the paint.
The Red Storm defense kept Villanova's offense out of rhythm, winning the turnover battle convincingly. The Johnnies forced 18 Villanova miscues while surrendering just 12 of their own, converting those 18 home-team turnovers into 24 points.
In addition, the Johnnies registered 10 thefts on the night, marking the fourth time this season that the Red Storm has finished with 10 or more steals in a single contest.
The two programs traded blows in the early going of the first quarter before the Johnnies pieced together an 11-3 run to lead, 15-9, with just under three minutes to play in the first frame. The Wildcats responded with an 8-2 run of their own to knot the game at 17 after 10 minutes of action.
The back-and-forth battle carried over into the second quarter with Johnnies maintaining the lead through the first half of the second stanza. Midway through the quarter, the Wildcats went on a 9-2 tear to tie the game at 31 with 28 seconds to play.
With the clock winding down and the intermission approaching, Brelove netted a shot to send the Johnnies into the locker room with a 33-31 advantage on the Wildcats.
After 20 minutes of action, Wellere paced the way for the Red Storm with 10 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor. The Johnnies defense posed a threat on the Wildcats in the opening half, forcing 12 Villanova turnovers, converting those miscues into 16 points.
Coming out of the intermission, the Johnnies continued to lead, 37-33, with 7:18 remaining in the third quarter. However, over the next few minutes, the Wildcats used a 14-2 run to take their largest lead of the night, 47-39, with 2:42 left in the third frame.
With under three minutes to play in the third quarter, the Johnnies battled back, unleashing a 9-1 run down the stretch to tie the game at 48 after 30 minutes of action. England capped off the Johnnies' late 9-1 run with a beyond the arc buzzer beater.
The momentum carried over into the final frame for the Red Storm, as the Johnnies unleashed six unanswered points early in the fourth quarter to regain the lead, 54-48.
The home team continued to battle back, tying the game for the ninth time on the evening at 62 with 37 seconds left to play. The Red Storm owned the court over the final seconds, as Kebbe netted four points before Wellere came up clutch with a crucial steal to ultimately lift the Red Storm to victory.
St. John's will wrap up its final road swing of the regular season at Georgetown on Sunday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on FS2.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Women's BasketballSt. John's Women's Basketball vs Le Moyne Press Conference 11.3.2025
Monday, November 03
St. John's Women's Basketball vs Le Moyne Highlights 11.3.25
Monday, November 03
Coach Tartamella Campus Media Day 10.16.2025
Thursday, October 16
St. John's WBB Game 1 Postgame Press Conference 3.7.25
Friday, March 07