St. John’s Comeback Falls Short at Harvard, 61-56

Friday, November 7

Cambridge, Mass. (Lavietes Pavilion)

8 p.m.

St. John's University

1-1,0-0Big East

Harvard

1-0,0-0Ivy League

St. John's (NY)

Harvard

The St. John's women's basketball team huddles up during a timeout.

St. John’s Comeback Falls Short at Harvard, 61-56

11/7/2025 11:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Photo Gallery

Shaulana Wagner led all scorers with 19 points

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (Nov. 7, 2025) – The St. John's women's basketball team (1-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) went down to the wire in a road battle at Harvard (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) but ultimately fell, 61-56, on Friday night at Lavietes Pavilion.

After trailing by double-digits in the second half, the Red Storm came roaring back cutting the deficit to one on two separate occasions. In the final 20 seconds, the Crimson recorded a crucial stop to seal a victory at Lavietes Pavilion.

Shaulana Wagner led all scorers with 19 points, finishing one shy of matching her career high. The graduate student shot 7-of-11 from the field, pulled down seven rebounds and swiped three steals.

Janeya Grant went for a career-high 15 points on Friday night on 6-of-11 shooting from field goal. Through two games, the sophomore is tied for a team-high averaging 12.0 points per game.

Brooke Moore filled the box score adding nine points, eight rebounds and a for the second-straight game set a new personal best mark in blocks. The junior becomes the first Johnnie to record five swats in a single-game since Rayven Peeples logged the same number in a road victory at DePaul on Feb. 11, 2023.

The Red Storm blocked 12 shots which marked the program's highest total since it set the all-time program record of 16 against Saint Peter's on Dec. 1, 2020. The Johnnies are averaging 9.5 swats per game through two contests.

The two sides traded baskets in the early going in Cambridge. Wagner opened the scoring with a baseline drive converting at the basket. Abies forced a turnover coming up with a steal near the 3-point arc. Wagner found with a perfect pass setting up the easy lay-in to knot the score, 6-6, with 5:21 remaining in the first. The Crimson ended the frame on a 6-1 to hold a 12-7 edge after opening 10 minutes.

In the second stanza, the Red Storm surged back into the contest with a pivotal scoring run. Wagner pulled up for a mid-range jumper then forced a turnover with the steal. The point guard took off up the floor finding an open Grant for the buried triple to quickly cut the deficit to 16-14, with 7:31 left in the half. The contest remained within a five-point margin as the half winded down. Beautiful Waheed threw an on-target baseball pass to a streaking Grant for the finish. The sophomore continued her impressive second quarter nailing a triple to trail by just a single-point, 24-23. Harvard recorded the final bucket to take a 26-23 lead into the locker room.

In the third frame, Harvard opened up on an 8-2 run to extend the lead. The Red Storm answered the bell cutting the Crimson lead to four after Moore drilled a corner triple, 36-32. The defending Ivy League Tournament Champions responded with a 9-2 run to give Harvard its largest lead of the night, 45-34, with 2:19 left in the frame. The Johnnies refused to go down quietly as a Jailah Donald lay-up and another triple from Moore chipped away that deficit. On the final play of the third stanza, Wagner jacked up a wide open triple as time expired to close the quarter on an 8-2 run making it a five-point game, 47-42, through 30 minutes of action.

As the final quarter got underway the Johnnies momentum continued as Wagner made a one possession game, 47-44. Harvard brought its edge back to seven before Grant finished in the lane through contact and converted from the charity stripe to swing the momentum. In the final minutes, Wagner scored five consecutive points to climb within a point on two separate occasions. In the final thirty seconds, the Troy transfer made another crucial play swiping her third steal of the night to give St. John's possession down one with 18.4 seconds to play. Out of the timeout, the Red Storm missed on two opportunities to take the lead. After the Crimson's Olivia Jones knocked down a pair from the charity stripe, 59-56. St. John's was unable to get off the 3-point attempt as Harvard held on for the victory.

The Red Storm will be back in action on Tuesday night when it heads to Quinnipiac for a 5 p.m. contest on ESPN+.