St. John's University Athletics
Thursday, March 19
New York, N.Y. (Levien Gymnasium)
7 p.m.
St. John's University
at
Columbia
St. John’s to Meet Columbia in WBIT First Round on Thursday Night
3/18/2026 6:30:00 PM | Women's Basketball
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The Red Storm will make its second WBIT appearance
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's women's basketball team will face fourth-seeded Columbia in the Women's Basketball Invitational Tournament (WBIT) First Round on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
Tomorrow night's contest will air on ESPN+ with Lance Medow and Maren Walseth on the call from Levien Gymnasium. The Red Storm will play at Columbia for the first time since Dec. 4, 2009, when St. John's took a 75-63 win over the Lions.
The Johnnies will make their 19th all-time postseason appearance and second in the WBIT. In the tournament's inaugural season in 2024, St. John's defeated Florida, 79-60, on March 21 behind a 37-point performance from Unique Drake before falling in the WBIT Second Round at Toledo, 72-71.
Under Head Coach Joe Tartamella, St. John's will make its ninth postseason appearance in 14 seasons. The winningest coach in program history has guided the Johnnies to four NCAA Tournaments, three WNIT appearances and now two WBIT berths.
In 2023, the NCAA announced the creation of the 32-team WBIT. The field, selected by a committee, includes the "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament, regular-season conference champions who did not win their league tournaments, and additional at-large selections. St. John's joins Seton Hall as the two BIG EAST programs represented in this year's tournament.
The Red Storm will enter the postseason with a 22-11 overall record and an 11-9 mark in BIG EAST play. The Johnnies recorded their highest win total since the 2022-23 campaign, when they finished 23-9 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
St. John's closed out its time in the BIG EAST tournament with a close 63-61 loss to Seton Hall in the quarterfinals on March 7. Seton Hall built a lead of up to 13 late in the second quarter, but St. John's battled back, trimming the deficit to just one point on three separate occasions before ultimately falling in Uncasville.
Three Johnnies scored in double figures, led by Jailah Donald's career-high 15 points, while Shaulana Wagner and Brooke Moore added 11 apiece. Wagner also dished out a game-high seven assists, and the trio combined to shoot an efficient 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the field, fueling the Red Storm's fourth-quarter surge.
St. John's is led by All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Moore, who averages 12.1 points per game on 52.6% shooting. Additionally, Sa'Mya Wyatt was tabbed All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention and ranks second on the team, logging 11.1 points per contest.
St. John's will match up with Columbia for the first time in postseason play and the just third time in history, dating back to Dec. 4, 2009. The Red Storm hold a 2-0 all-time record over the Lions, with the Johnnies taking the last meeting, 65-41 at home on Nov. 19, 2010.
Columbia (20-8, 11-3 Ivy League) enters the WBIT as the fourth seed after capturing the Ivy League Regular Season title but coming up short in the conference tournament, falling 67-65 in overtime to Harvard on March 14.
The Lions are led by Ivy League Player of the Year Riley Weiss and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Perri Page, both of whom earned First Team All-Ivy League honors.
Weiss, an AP All-America Honorable Mention and WBCA finalist, is averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc. Page is contributing 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest, while shooting an efficient 54.3% from the floor.
Fliss Henderson has also made an impact, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention and Academic All-Ivy League recognition.
The winner of tomorrow night's contest will face the winner of top-seeded North Dakota State and Chattanooga on Sunday, March 22.
Tomorrow night's contest will air on ESPN+ with Lance Medow and Maren Walseth on the call from Levien Gymnasium. The Red Storm will play at Columbia for the first time since Dec. 4, 2009, when St. John's took a 75-63 win over the Lions.
The Johnnies will make their 19th all-time postseason appearance and second in the WBIT. In the tournament's inaugural season in 2024, St. John's defeated Florida, 79-60, on March 21 behind a 37-point performance from Unique Drake before falling in the WBIT Second Round at Toledo, 72-71.
Under Head Coach Joe Tartamella, St. John's will make its ninth postseason appearance in 14 seasons. The winningest coach in program history has guided the Johnnies to four NCAA Tournaments, three WNIT appearances and now two WBIT berths.
In 2023, the NCAA announced the creation of the 32-team WBIT. The field, selected by a committee, includes the "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament, regular-season conference champions who did not win their league tournaments, and additional at-large selections. St. John's joins Seton Hall as the two BIG EAST programs represented in this year's tournament.
The Red Storm will enter the postseason with a 22-11 overall record and an 11-9 mark in BIG EAST play. The Johnnies recorded their highest win total since the 2022-23 campaign, when they finished 23-9 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
St. John's closed out its time in the BIG EAST tournament with a close 63-61 loss to Seton Hall in the quarterfinals on March 7. Seton Hall built a lead of up to 13 late in the second quarter, but St. John's battled back, trimming the deficit to just one point on three separate occasions before ultimately falling in Uncasville.
Three Johnnies scored in double figures, led by Jailah Donald's career-high 15 points, while Shaulana Wagner and Brooke Moore added 11 apiece. Wagner also dished out a game-high seven assists, and the trio combined to shoot an efficient 14-of-22 (63.6%) from the field, fueling the Red Storm's fourth-quarter surge.
St. John's is led by All-BIG EAST Second Team selection Moore, who averages 12.1 points per game on 52.6% shooting. Additionally, Sa'Mya Wyatt was tabbed All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention and ranks second on the team, logging 11.1 points per contest.
St. John's will match up with Columbia for the first time in postseason play and the just third time in history, dating back to Dec. 4, 2009. The Red Storm hold a 2-0 all-time record over the Lions, with the Johnnies taking the last meeting, 65-41 at home on Nov. 19, 2010.
Columbia (20-8, 11-3 Ivy League) enters the WBIT as the fourth seed after capturing the Ivy League Regular Season title but coming up short in the conference tournament, falling 67-65 in overtime to Harvard on March 14.
The Lions are led by Ivy League Player of the Year Riley Weiss and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Perri Page, both of whom earned First Team All-Ivy League honors.
Weiss, an AP All-America Honorable Mention and WBCA finalist, is averaging 19.7 points per game while shooting 38.5% from beyond the arc. Page is contributing 14.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per contest, while shooting an efficient 54.3% from the floor.
Fliss Henderson has also made an impact, earning All-Ivy League Honorable Mention and Academic All-Ivy League recognition.
The winner of tomorrow night's contest will face the winner of top-seeded North Dakota State and Chattanooga on Sunday, March 22.
Players Mentioned
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Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
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