St. John’s Edges Villanova in Women’s Big East Basketball

VILLANOVA, PA. 2/22/2019 – It was anybody’s game in the last minute. It was the Red Storm of St. John’s who benefited from two turnovers and a layup in the last half minute to come away with a 66 – 62 win over the Villanova Wildcats at the Finneran Pavilion.

“We didn’t make the right plays at the right time,” said Villanova Coach Harry Perretta. “We made on right play and got a three to tie it, but we don’t switch and they got a layup.”

The Red Storm led 62 – 59, but the Wildcats would tie the game at 62 on a three-pointer by guard Adrianna Hahn from the deep left corner with 37 seconds on the clock. St. John’s would answer when Alisha Kibbe got an open lane to the basket to regain the lead. Kibbe, a Philadelphia native and a graduate of Neumann-Goretti High School, finished the scoring with 2 free throws. She had team-high 16 points.

Villanova had an opportunity, but Qadashah Hoppie ended that chance with a steal at the 17 second mark.

“We turned it over instead of getting a shot at the basket, said Perretta.”

For the Cats 18 turnovers led to a 24 – 12 advantage in points off turnovers for the Storm proved to be a large obstacle.

Hahn scored a game-high 19 points. Forward Mary Gedaka added 17 and Kelly Jekot contributed 13 points. St. John’s had three other players in double figures as Tiana England scored 15 points. Akina Wellere had 12 and Curteeona Brelove chipped in with 10 points.

The Wildcats made 11 of 24 from beyond the arc, and shot 23 of 50 overall (46%). The Red Storm converted 29 of 53 from the floor. They sank 2 from distance.

Villanova falls to 16 – 10 and are 7 – 8 in the Big East. Presently, they hold on to fifth place, one game in back of Providence. St. John’s moves to 7 – 9 in conference, a half-game in back of Villanova. There are a bunch of teams fighting for seeds four through seven in the conference standings.

“We lost the game on turnovers and making defensive errors at the end of the game,” said Perretta.

The Wildcats finish their home schedule on Sunday facing the Seton Hall Pirates on Senior Day.

Written By: Glenn Papazian

Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com