St. John’s Dominates Xavier, 70-41, on Sunday Afternoon

Sunday, February 3

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

2:00 PM

St. John's University

10-12, 3-8

Xavier University

11-11, 2-9

Xavier

St. John's

St. John’s Dominates Xavier, 70-41, on Sunday Afternoon

2/3/2019 5:40:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Quotes (PDF)Photo Gallery Postgame Press Conference

The Johnnies come away with season sweep over the Musketeers

By: Victoria Lanza

The St. John's women's basketball team secured the season sweep over Xavier in commanding fashion on Sunday afternoon, blowing past the Musketeers, 70-41, at Carnesecca Arena.

With the win, St. John's (10-12, 3-8 BIG EAST) earned its fourth-straight season sweep over the Musketeers.

All eight active players put up points for the Red Storm, as four boasted double figures en route to the Johnnies' lopsided victory.

"I thought it was one of our most complete games all year," said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. "The energy level was great from start to finish. We had four players finish in double figures. I thought our bench gave one of its best efforts this year with 17. I'm really pleased with our effort and I'm really proud and happy for our players to get a real good one today."

Curteeona Brelove paced the way for the Red Storm, finishing just two boards shy of a double-double with 15 points and eight rebounds, dropping 10 of those points in the fourth quarter alone. The Malone, Fla., native drained five of her 10 tries from the floor, while netting her first ever career triple.

Akina Wellere stuffed the stat sheet for the Red Storm, posting 11 points, six rebounds and a trio of assists on the afternoon.

Tiana England and Alisha Kebbe each finished with 10 points apiece. England also dished out eight assists to lead the Red Storm in that category.

As a team, St. John's shot 46.8 (29-of-62) percent from the floor, registering 36 points in the paint. On the game, the Johnnies also surrendered just six turnovers to tie for their lowest total of the season.

Qadashah Hoppie put the Johnnies on the board first with a shot from distance, before Xavier responded with a triple of its own. From there, the Johnnies strung together a 10-2 run, with all five starters putting up points, giving the Red Storm a 13-5 lead with just over five minutes to play in the first quarter.

The Johnnies and the Musketeers traded blows over the next few minutes, each netting seven points down the stretch, as St. John's held on to an eight-point advantage, 20-12, after the first 10 minutes of action.

The tradeoff of buckets carried over into the second quarter until the Johnnies went off on an offensive surge. St. John's unleashed 14 unanswered points over the final 7:11 of the second quarter to enter the intermission with a 38-17 advantage.

The Red Storm's 21-point lead at the break, marked the Johnnies' largest of the season entering the locker room.

With under five minutes to play in the third quarter and the Red Storm maintaining a 21-point edge, the Musketeers scored five points to pull within 16 with 2:34 remaining in the third frame.

Leading by 19, 49-30, after 30 minutes of action, the Johnnies rattled off a 10-0 run to take a comfortable 29-point lead with under five minutes to play to ultimately cement the season sweep over the Musketeers.

St. John's will play its next two contests on the road, beginning with a trip to Creighton on Friday night at 8 p.m. ET, before traveling to Providence on Sunday afternoon for a 2 p.m. showdown.