St. John's University Athletics
Saturday, March 18
Columbus, Ohio (Value City Arena)
4 p.m.
St. John's University
vs
No. 6 North Carolina
No. 11 St. John’s Readies for No. 6 North Carolina in NCAA Tournament First Round
3/17/2023 6:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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The Johnnies will take on UNC in NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984
COLUMBUS, Ohio – On the heels of a thrilling two-point victory over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament's First Four, the 11th-seeded St. John's women's basketball team will take on sixth-seeded North Carolina on Saturday.
ESPN will carry the nationally televised contest from Value City Arena with tip-off slated for 4 p.m. Sam Gore and Kim Adams will have the call.
With under five ticks to go in regulation, redshirt senior Jayla Everett drove to her right and floated in the game-winning bucket with 0.3 seconds on the clock to seal the 66-64 triumph against the Boilermakers on Thursday evening. Known for her scoring prowess all season, the St. Louis, Mo., native posted her eighth 20-point performance with the Johnnies, racking up 20 points on a 50 percent shooting clip from the floor (7-14 FG) to go along with three triples.
The Red Storm rattled off 11 makes from distance on Thursday, marking a new program record in the NCAA Tournament. 2023 BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year Unique Drake matched a career-best draining 4-of-6 from deep against Purdue before finishing with 16 on the evening.
In a total team effort, the Johnnies utilized key playmaking contributions from senior Kadaja Bailey, who locked down defensively throughout her 37 minutes of work, accumulating a game-high seven assists and a pair of steals. Danielle Cosgrove chipped in eight points off the bench and also hit two triples of her own.
In its 10 appearances in the round of 64, the Red Storm holds a 6-4 mark with its last win coming as the eighth seed on March 22, 2014, against ninth-seeded USC. The Johnnies edged the Trojans, 71-68, in Knoxville, Tenn., with a buzzer-beating triple off the hands of Briana Brown with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Former standout Aliyyah Handford also went off for 27 points with eight makes inside the arc and an 11-for-15 showing at the line.
The Johnnies will look to avenge its only tournament appearance against UNC, an 81-79 overtime setback against the second-seeded Tar Heels as the seventh seed in Chapel Hill. The first-round matchup will also mark the seventh meeting between St. John's and North Carolina, a series that has tilted in favor of UNC through all six contests dating back to 1982.
With a win on Saturday, the Red Storm will move to 2-0 against the sixth seed in the Big Dance, picking up its first against Oklahoma, 74-70, en route to the program's first and only Sweet 16 berth in 2012.
The Red Storm will have a tough test in sixth-seeded North Carolina, which is coming off its second straight 20-win campaign at 21-10. The Tar Heels will make their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third consecutive under Head Coach Courtney Banghart.
UNC has three players averaging over 13.0 points with junior guard Deja Kelly leading the way at 16.2 per game. Fellow teammates Kennedy Todd-Williams and Alyssa Utsby round out those in double figures with 13.3 and 13.1 points per contest, respectively.
The Tar Heels have been one of the top defensive teams in the country, holding the opposition to a 36.4 percent shooting clip from the floor, good for 26th in Division I. North Carolina has pestered teams all season with an ACC-leading +4.1 turnover margin and 18.6 forced miscues per contest, both ranked top 50 in the nation.
The winner of Saturday's matchup will take on the winner of third-seeded Ohio State and 14th-seeded James Madison on Monday, March 20 in Columbus.
ESPN will carry the nationally televised contest from Value City Arena with tip-off slated for 4 p.m. Sam Gore and Kim Adams will have the call.
With under five ticks to go in regulation, redshirt senior Jayla Everett drove to her right and floated in the game-winning bucket with 0.3 seconds on the clock to seal the 66-64 triumph against the Boilermakers on Thursday evening. Known for her scoring prowess all season, the St. Louis, Mo., native posted her eighth 20-point performance with the Johnnies, racking up 20 points on a 50 percent shooting clip from the floor (7-14 FG) to go along with three triples.
The Red Storm rattled off 11 makes from distance on Thursday, marking a new program record in the NCAA Tournament. 2023 BIG EAST Sixth Woman of the Year Unique Drake matched a career-best draining 4-of-6 from deep against Purdue before finishing with 16 on the evening.
In a total team effort, the Johnnies utilized key playmaking contributions from senior Kadaja Bailey, who locked down defensively throughout her 37 minutes of work, accumulating a game-high seven assists and a pair of steals. Danielle Cosgrove chipped in eight points off the bench and also hit two triples of her own.
In its 10 appearances in the round of 64, the Red Storm holds a 6-4 mark with its last win coming as the eighth seed on March 22, 2014, against ninth-seeded USC. The Johnnies edged the Trojans, 71-68, in Knoxville, Tenn., with a buzzer-beating triple off the hands of Briana Brown with 0.4 seconds on the clock. Former standout Aliyyah Handford also went off for 27 points with eight makes inside the arc and an 11-for-15 showing at the line.
The Johnnies will look to avenge its only tournament appearance against UNC, an 81-79 overtime setback against the second-seeded Tar Heels as the seventh seed in Chapel Hill. The first-round matchup will also mark the seventh meeting between St. John's and North Carolina, a series that has tilted in favor of UNC through all six contests dating back to 1982.
With a win on Saturday, the Red Storm will move to 2-0 against the sixth seed in the Big Dance, picking up its first against Oklahoma, 74-70, en route to the program's first and only Sweet 16 berth in 2012.
The Red Storm will have a tough test in sixth-seeded North Carolina, which is coming off its second straight 20-win campaign at 21-10. The Tar Heels will make their 30th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and third consecutive under Head Coach Courtney Banghart.
UNC has three players averaging over 13.0 points with junior guard Deja Kelly leading the way at 16.2 per game. Fellow teammates Kennedy Todd-Williams and Alyssa Utsby round out those in double figures with 13.3 and 13.1 points per contest, respectively.
The Tar Heels have been one of the top defensive teams in the country, holding the opposition to a 36.4 percent shooting clip from the floor, good for 26th in Division I. North Carolina has pestered teams all season with an ACC-leading +4.1 turnover margin and 18.6 forced miscues per contest, both ranked top 50 in the nation.
The winner of Saturday's matchup will take on the winner of third-seeded Ohio State and 14th-seeded James Madison on Monday, March 20 in Columbus.
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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Guard
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