Late Providence Surge Sinks St. John’s, 54-53

Sunday, February 16

Providence, R.I. (Alumni Hall)

1:00 p.m.

St. John's University

15-11,8-7Big East

Providence

11-15,2-12Big East

St. John's (NY)

Providence

2/16/2020 4:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Hoppie leads the Red Storm with 22 points in Sunday setback

By: Victoria Lanza

After trailing for nearly 37 minutes of game action, Providence tied the score four times over the final frame before converting on a free throw with just seconds left in regulation to complete the comeback, 54-53, over St. John's on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Hall.

With 4.6 seconds on the clock, the Friars' Earlette Scott drew a foul as she hit a pull-up jumper to tie the game at 53. Scott then converted from the free-throw line to give Providence a 54-53 advantage. It marked the Friars' first lead of the afternoon as they held on for the win.

Qadashah Hoppie put forth another stellar offensive effort for the Red Storm, notching her 10th 20-point performance of the season. The junior guard finished with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the floor, converting on five of her eight tries from distance. The Staten Island native also grabbed seven rebounds for the Red Storm.

Hoppie was one of four Johnnies to pull down seven boards against the Friars, as Alisha Kebbe, Raven Farley and Leilani Correa grabbed seven caroms apiece.

Alissa Alston turned in double figures for the 11th time in 13 games, netting 10 points on the afternoon. The redshirt senior also recorded three rebounds and two assists.

Both programs went without a bucket over the opening 2:03 before Kebbe drew a foul to take a trip to the charity stripe. The senior guard went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line to put St. John's (15-11, 8-7 BIG EAST) on the board. Just seconds later, Hoppie converted on a shot from downtown to give the Johnnies a 4-0 advantage.

After holding the Friars without a point for nearly four minutes, the home team finally broke through at the 6:43 mark, as Mary Baskerville converted on a pair of free throws.

Over the next 43 seconds, the two programs traded blows before going without a field goal for nearly five minutes on either end. Down the stretch of the first fame, St. John's outscored Providence (11-15, 2-12 BIG EAST), 7-2, with five of those Red Storm points coming by way of the free-throw line, as the Johnnies led, 14-8, after 10 minutes of action.

St. John's unleashed a 10-0 run to kick start the second stanza, building its lead up to 16, 24-8, with just under six minutes to play in the half. The Friars began to chip away at the Johnnies' advantage, using a 10-2 run to trim their deficit down to eight, 26-18, at the half.

The Red Storm's stifling defense was locked in during the first 20 minutes of action, holding Providence to a 25 percent shooting from the floor, as the Friars could not convert on the three-point play.

After going without a three pointer in the first half, Providence opened up the third period with its first trey of the afternoon, pulling the score within five, 26-21. Hoppie answered, rattling off a 5-0 run of her own to build St. John's lead back up to double-digits, 31-21.

The Friars' Alyssa Geary drained the team's second triple in 93 seconds, before the dynamic duo of Tiana England and Hoppie teamed up for a 10-3 tear, to give St. John's a 41-27 edge.

Providence did not back down, exploding for seven unanswered points down the stretch to sneak back within seven, 41-34, after 30 minutes of play.

Entering the final frame, Alston wasted no time getting the scoring started for the Johnnies, making a strong drive to the basket to grow the Red Storm's advantage back up to nine, 43-34. Providence continued to push offensively, making a 10-1 run over the next few minutes to knot the score at 44.

Thirty ticks after the Friars tied the game, Correa finished in the paint to put St. John's back on top, 46-44. Hoppie added to the Johnnies lead, sinking a shot from downtown, for her sixth trey on the afternoon.

The Friars would not back down, knotting the score three times down the stretch, before securing the victory off a free throw to complete the comeback, 54-53.

The Johnnies will wrap up the regular season with a three-game homestand. St. John's will kick off its final stretch in Queens on Saturday, welcoming Seton Hall to Carnesecca Arena for a 2 p.m. matchup.