Defense Drives St. John’s Past Creighton, 51-45, on Friday Evening

Friday, February 8

Omaha, Neb. (DJ SOKOL ARENA)

8:00 PM

St. John's University

11-12, 4-8BE

Creighton University

10-13, 4-8BE

St. John's

Creighton

Defense Drives St. John’s Past Creighton, 51-45, on Friday Evening

2/8/2019 11:42:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Highlights

Curteeona Brelove leads the Red Storm en route to second-straight BIG EAST victory

By: Victoria Lanza

Behind a stellar defensive effort, the St. John's women's basketball team topped Creighton, 51-45, in a wire-to-wire win on Friday evening in Omaha, Neb.

"We played really well for all 40 minutes and did the things we talked about," said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. "I thought we took them out of their rhythm. We played with fire and intensity today that we haven't had for a full 40 minutes. I am just really happy for our kids and the way that they played, especially on the road for us. This was a big one."

Curteeona Brelove led the way for the Red Storm with 15 points, draining six of her 11 attempts from the floor. The Malone, Fla., native netted 10 of those points in the first quarter alone. In addition to her strong scoring performance, the 6-foot-2 forward also brought down a trio of rebounds and stole two passes en route to the Johnnies' victory.

Akina Wellere joined Brelove in double figures, scoring 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the floor. The Chicago native has now netted 10 or more points in seven-straight contests for the Red Storm.

Tiana England continued to lead the point for the Johnnies, dishing out a game-high seven assists. The Stamford, Conn., native added eight points, six rebounds and a steal to her name on the stat sheet.

The Red Storm's defense held the Bluejays to 16-of-48 (33.3%) shooting from the field and just 22 (5-of-22) percent from long distance.

The Johnnies (11-12, 4-8) dominated the turnover battle against the Bluejays (10-13, 4-8) forcing 14 Creighton miscues while coughing up just eight of their own, marking the eighth time this season that the Johnnies have given up fewer than 10 turnovers in a single contest.

Creighton was called on a foul early in the first quarter, sending Brelove to the line. The Malone, Fla., native split her shots from the charity strip to put the Johnnies on the board. This ignited a fire for Brelove who drained the Johnnies next nine points to notch double figures just three minutes into the opening quarter, giving the Red Storm an early 10-3 lead.

The Bluejays responded, using a 7-2 run down the stretch of the first frame to pull the game within two, 12-10, after the first 10 minutes of action.

Creighton converted on a pair of free throws to knot the game at 12 in the opening seconds of the second quarter. The tie did not last long, as the Johnnies unleashed seven unanswered points to regain the lead, 19-12, at the 5:58 mark.

Creighton began to chip away at the Red Storm's advantage, inching back within one, 19-18, with under four minutes to play in the half. However the Johnnies did not let them get any closer, outscoring the Bluejays, 6-3, over the final few minutes of the second quarter to take a 25-21 lead into the locker room.

Entering the contest ranked fourth in the league in turnover margin, St. John's did a stellar job protecting the ball early. The Johnnies allowed just two turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action, while forcing seven on the Bluejays.

Creighton netted the first two points coming out of the intermission, before the Red Storm used a 13-3 run to take a 12-point edge, for its largest lead of the night.

The Bluejays continued to battle, holding the Red Storm to just two points over the final 5:34, to pull the score within single digits, 40-32, after 30 minutes of action.

It was a slow start offensively for both teams over the first four minutes of the final quarter, with each program finding the bottom of the net just once.

The two teams traded blows over the next few minutes, as the Johnnies held on to a five-point lead, 47-42, with 3:27 remaining in the contest. The Red Storm then drained four free throws over the final 40 seconds to ultimately secure the victory.

St. John's returns to action on Sunday, traveling to Providence for a 1 p.m. showdown. The game will be live streamed on BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).