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By Geri Falzon (Photo: S. Grieco/NYSB) While watching the Red Storm beat No. 15 Villanova, chants of “We Are St. John’s” and “De-fense” could be heard throughout the arena – no, not at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia – but at Carnesecca Arena following a women’s basketball victory over the University of Pittsburgh.
Over one-hundred Storm fans had their eyes glued to a large screen television in the lobby of Carnesecca Arena as the men’s game came to a close in another impressive BIG EAST win. Following the women’s basketball team’s win over Pittsburgh, young fans lined up for an autograph session with the Red Storm players, but even the players themselves could not help from keeping an eye on the large screen to catch a glimpse of the final moments. The Red Storm (19-9, 11-5 BIG EAST) continued their hot streak with their sixth win in a row topping the Wildcats 81-68 and again beating another ranked team. Senior guard Dwight Hardy scored a career-high 34 points connecting on 5-of-9 from beyond the three-point arc and making 11-of-13 foul shots. D.J. Kennedy registered his second-straight double-double scoring 12 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Fellow seniors Justin Brownlee and Paris Horne added 12 and 11 points, respectively. The No. 23 Red Storm travel to Seton Hall for their next BIG EAST contest before closing out the regular season at Carnesecca Arena in a match-up against South Florida. On an equally important day for the St. John’s women’s team, the Storm notched their second-straight 20-win season with a 72-63 win over Pittsburgh on Senior Day. The Red Storm (20-8, 9-6 BIG EAST) were led by junior Da’Shena Stevens who scored a team-high 15 points. Senior Coco Hart added 13 points and sophomore guard Shenneika Smith chipped in 12 points – all in the second half of play. Sophomore point guard Nadirah McKennith enjoyed a successful day scoring nine points and tallying nine assists. McKennith also grabbed six rebounds along with two steals and two blocked shots. Sky Lindsey, the Storm’s other graduating senior started in her 126th game for St. John’s and is the only player on the current roster to start every game in her career. In her final home game, Lindsey scored six points while adding two rebounds, one assist, two blocks and a steal. The win over Pittsburgh also included a milestone for head coach Kim Barnes-Arico as she recorded her 150th win as coach of the Red Storm. |
