St. John’s Drops BIG EAST Opener at Villanova, 71-57

Saturday, December 21

Villanova, Pa. (Finneran Pavilion)

2 p.m.

St. John's University

10-2,0-1Big East

Villanova

7-6,1-0Big East

Team	1	2	3	4	F
St. John's (NY)	12	14	14	17	57
Villanova	24	18	19	10	71

The St. John's women's basketball team fell to Villanova 71-57 on Saturday afternoon inside Finneran Pavilion.

St. John’s Drops BIG EAST Opener at Villanova, 71-57

12/21/2024 4:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Three Red Storm players finished in double-figures

VILLANOVA, Pa.– The St. John's women's basketball team dropped its BIG EAST opener on Saturday afternoon against Villanova, 71-57, at Finneran Pavilion.

The Red Storm fell to 10-2 on the year as Villanova (7-6, 1-0 BIG EAST) shot 84.6 percent (11-13) in the opening quarter building a double-digit lead and never looked back logging a wire-to-wire victory at home.

The Johnnies bench eclipsed the 25 points for the second-straight game, outscoring the Villanova reserves, 25-9. The Red Storm outscored the Wildcats in the latter half, 31-29.

St. John's (10-2, 0-1 BIG EAST) recorded 14 steals in the setback its second-highest total this season. Four players logged multiple steals in Pennsylvania.

For the 11^th time in 12 games, Lashae Dwyer finished in double-figures totaling a team-best 12 points.  The senior chipped in a team-high four assists and a pair of steals.

Ariana Vanderhoop logged her second-straight double-figure scoring performance ending Saturday's contest with 11 points and a season-high five rebounds and three steals.

Skye Owen was the third Johnnie to tally a double-digit scoring effort finishing with 10 points. The junior reached the 10-point mark for the sixth time this season. Phoenix Gedeon pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Jayda Brown provided a spark off the bench adding a season-high nine points, three boards, a steal and a block in 15 minutes of action

Villanova's Jasmine Bascoe led all scorers with 24 points on 10-of-12 shooting, including 17 in the first half. Three Wildcats- Maddie Webber, Maddie Burke and Denae Carter all added 12 points apiece.

In the opening quarter, Villanova sprinted out to a double-digit lead firing on all cylinders on its home floor. The Wildcats started the game on a 13-1 run and held the Red Storm without a made field goal for 5:22. After the Villanova reached 15, 18-3, The Johnnies began to shift momentum as Owen hit a corner triple. Vanderhoop finished a steal on the other end and Dwyer sunk a mid-range to complete a 7-0 run and trim the deficit to eight. On the final play of the quarter, the Wildcats' Danae Carter finished a fastbreak lay-up to hold a 24-12 lead after 10 minutes.

In the second stanza, Jailah Donald splashed a triple on the opening possession to trail by single-digits. After a 7-0 spurt by the Wildcats in the middle of the quarter, Jayda Brown provided a sparkplug logging five points and a steal in just a 1:03 span. Dwyer sunk a 3-pointer to cap off a 6-0 stretch, 37-26. Bascoe recorded the final five points of the half as the home side took a 16-point cushion into the locker room, 42-26.

The Wildcats engineered another run coming out of the break tallying the first six points of the third stanza. As the shot clock expired, Owen jacked up a contested triple and got it to fall. The Wildcats continued to expand their advantage taking a 21-point lead, 61-40, into the fourth quarter.

In the finale frame, the Johnnies outscored the Wildcats 17-10 and ended the game on an 11-3 run but the deficit was too much to overcome as the squad falls to 0-1 in league play.

Next Saturday, the Red Storm will welcome Creighton for "4K Day" on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. on FOX. To purchase tickets visit RedStormTix.com.