Moore’s 20-Point Performance Propels St. John’s to 71-58 Win Over Villanova

Saturday, January 24

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

2 p.m.

St. John's University

16-6,6-5Big East

Villanova

15-5,8-3Big East

Villanova

St. John's (NY)

Brooke Moore led the Johnnies with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-9 shooting, adding eight rebounds and four assists, along with one steal and a block on the defensive end.

Photo by: Brenden Willsch Creative LLC

Moore’s 20-Point Performance Propels St. John’s to 71-58 Win Over Villanova

1/24/2026 6:00:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Red Storm ends Villanova drought with first win over Wildcats since 2023

QUEENS, N.Y. – St. John's women's basketball put together a complete performance to take down Villanova, 71-58, Saturday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena.

St. John's earned its first win over Villanova since Dec. 16, 2023, when the Johnnies secured a 51-46 home victory. The Red Storm shot an efficient 51.0% (26-for-51) from the field while holding the Wildcats to a season-low 29.2% (19-for-65). St. John's also controlled the glass by a 40-27 margin and converted 16 of 18 free-throw attempts (88.9%).

Brooke Moore led the way with her fifth career 20-point performance, shooting 77.8% (7-for-9) from the floor and going a perfect 6-for-6 at the free-throw line. Three additional Johnnies reached double figures, including Beautiful Waheed with 12 points, Shaulana Wagner with 11, and Sa'Mya Wyatt with 10. Waheed paced St. John's on the boards with nine rebounds, while Wagner and Moore added eight rebounds apiece. For Villanova, Ryanne Allen led all Wildcats with 12 points and two rebounds, followed by Jasmine Bascoe with 11 points and Brynn McCurry with 10.

After Villanova gathered an early 5-2 edge, it was all Red Storm for the rest of the quarter in Queens. The Johnnies' dominant stretch started with a triple from Waheed and ended with a splash from downtown at the buzzer to cap off the 20-0 run. St. John's held Villanova scoreless for the final 7:52 of the opening frame and connected on eight of its final 13 attempts from the floor. The Johnnies took a sizeable 22-5 lead into the second quarter.

The Johnnies opened the second quarter with a 5–0 run to push the lead to 26–8. After extending the advantage to 33–14 with four minutes remaining, the Red Storm hit a brief lull that allowed Villanova to trim the deficit to 33–20. St. John's rallied in the final minute of the half to carry a 40–22 cushion into the break.

The Red Storm maintained control to start the third quarter, outscoring Villanova 8–4 over the opening four minutes to build a 48–26 advantage. The Wildcats made a push midway through the period with a 7–0 run to cut the deficit to 15, but St. John's quickly answered by attacking the rim and converting at the foul line, closing the quarter ahead 58–38.

St. John's continued to pull away in the final frame, stretching the lead to 20 with 7:52 remaining. Villanova's Allen knocked down a three while she and Bascoe added four fast-break points to spark a brief rally, cutting the score to 64–49. The Johnnies responded once again by getting to the line and scoring inside, pushing the margin to 69–49 with just over two minutes left. Moore sank a pair of free throws to bring the total to 71. Villanova made a last-ditch effort with two three-pointers in the final 30 seconds, but it wasn't enough as St. John's secured a 71–58 victory.

The Red Storm will travel to Omaha, Neb., for a midweek matchup with Creighton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.