The St. John’s Women’s Basketball Team Huddle. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports
It was just what the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team (18-8, 9-6 BIG EAST) needed a great defensive effort against a very good shooting team in Villanova (16-11, 10-5 BIG EAST). That combined with a fire and passion helped the Red Storm earn a 56-51 victory over their BIG EAST rivals at Carnesecca Arena.
Six steals during the course of the game made a huge difference for the hosts, including a huge one by Aliyyah Handford around the 1:35 mark combined with a lay-up got the momentum going in the favor of the Red Storm.
The Newark N.J., native also took a charge during the winding seconds of the Second Half, giving St. John’s the possession, while also energizing the fans that were in attendance.
Handford was one of three players to score in double-figures finishing the night with 25 points, while also grabbing eight rebounds to lead all scoring. For Aliyyah she was able to have five of St. John’s final eight points down the stretch, helping to lead the team with her fire and energy.
Jade Walker and Aaliyah Lewis both tallied 10 points on the evening, but both had moments that were vital to the team’s victory. Walker was able to hit two critical free throws that resulted from an offensive rebound in the final minutes of play. As for Lewis, the guard had a great game converting on four of her seven shot attempts from the floor without allowing a turnover 40 minutes of action.
Fans in attendance were able to witness a Milestone as Amber Thompson became the first player in program history to record 1,000 career rebounds.
St. John’s returns to action on Sunday afternoon, playing host to Georgetown at 2 p.m. The final home game of the regular season, Sunday will mark Senior Day at Carnesecca Arena.
1495 Sports is proud to bring the following postgame video:
Featuring:
Head Coach Joe Tartamella and Student-Athletes Aliyyah Handford and Jade Walker:
For more information on the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: