St. John’s Downs Seton Hall on Sunday, 59-56

Sunday, February 22

South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

21-9,11-8Big East

Seton Hall

18-9,12-6Big East

St. John's (NY)

Seton Hall

Daniela Abies dominated on both ends, pouring in a team-high 12 points on 50% shooting while ripping down a season-high 19 rebounds to go along with three assists and two blocks.

2/22/2026 3:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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The Red Storm earn first season sweep over the Pirates since 2019-20

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Redshirt junior forward Daniela Abies' fueled the St. John's women's basketball team to a close road victory over Seton Hall, 59-56, on Sunday afternoon.

Abies recorded her third double-double of the season finishing with 12 points and a season-best 19 rebounds. The forward posted the highest rebounding total by a Red Storm player since Kayla Charles collected 20 boards on Dec. 9, 2018.

With Sunday's victory, the Red Storm (21-9, 11-8 BIG EAST) secured its first season sweep of the Pirates (18-9, 12-6 BIG EAST) since the 2019-20 campaign. The matchup featured 12 lead changes and 10 ties. The Johnnies trailed by a point with 1:04 to go and made key defensive stops and knocked down clutch free throws to pull out the win at Walsh Gymnasium.

Shaulana Wagner also scored 12 points, added a team-high five assists, and grabbed six rebounds. Janeya Grant contributed 11 points, shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

A tightly contested first quarter featured four lead changes and four ties as the conference foes battled from the opening tip. After Seton Hall took the early edge, St. John's went on a 7-0 surge to move in front, 9-4. The Pirates evened the score at nine with 4:45 remaining. Grant then drained a three-pointer to put the Red Storm back on top, 12-9. The teams continued to trade baskets over the next three minutes, with Seton Hall clinging to a 17-16 edge. Grant delivered again in the closing seconds, knocking down another clutch triple with 38 seconds left to give St. John's a 19-17 advantage. Seton Hall responded to tie the game at 19 by the end of the opening period.

In the second stanza, the Red Storm quickly countered, reeling off nine unanswered points over a five-minute stretch. A three-pointer from Kylie Lavelle ignited the run, which was capped off by baskets from Abies and Grant to extend the lead to 28-22. After holding Seton Hall scoreless for more than six minutes, the Pirates converted another 3-point opportunity to trim the deficit to four. Sa'Mya Wyatt finished a fast-break layup off a feed from Wagner, and Ariel Little followed with a strong drive through the lane, sending St. John's into halftime with a 32-26 lead. The Johnnies held the Pirates to seven points on 2-of-16 (12.5%) shooting in the second quarter.

Jailah Donald wasted no time in the second half, drilling a three-pointer just 21 seconds into the third quarter to extend the St. John's lead to 35-26. Seton Hall answered with a 7-0 burst over the next three minutes, trimming the margin to two. Wyatt and Brooke Moore combined for six points midway through the quarter to keep St. John's in front, 41-37. Seton Hall evened the score at 41 with 2:17 remaining, converting four straight free throws. Abies responded to give the Red Storm a slim 42-41 edge heading into the final frame.

Early in the fourth, Seton Hall grabbed its first lead since the opening stanza as the two teams went back and forth in South Orange. Wagner put St. John's back on top with a go-ahead basket at the 3:00 mark and added another back-door layup to make it 55-52. Seton Hall countered once more, reclaiming a 56-55 lead with 1:04 left in regulation. Wagner was fouled with 34.1 seconds remaining and calmly sank both free throws to give the Red Storm a 57-56 edge. Donald added a free throw after a technical foul on Seton Hall, pushing the lead to 58-56. With 8.7 seconds to play, St. John's made key defensive stops and Abies sealed the 59-56 road victory with one final free throw.

The Red Storm will host No.1/1 UConn for the regular season at Madison Square Garden, for the program's first-ever standalone women's college basketball game, on March 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and will be nationally televised on TNT. Fans can purchase tickets to the game here.