After battling through two straight games that came down to the last few possessions, the women’s basketball team needed a late 3-pointer on Feb. 13 just to reach overtime.
No. 17 Georgetown had gone on a 12-2 run that put the Hoyas ahead by three with 1:09 remaining, but sophomore Amanda Burakowski made one of her five 3-pointers as the game clock wound down give the No. 25 Red Storm (17-7, 6-5) a chance in the extra period.
Once there, St. John’s, dressed in pink uniforms commemorating their designated Pink Zone game to raise awareness for breast cancer, pulled out a 75-71 victory at Carnesecca Arnea for their first win in five tries this season against a ranked opponent.
“I thought we really showed our character once again tonight because after being ahead for most of the game, Georgetown (20-6, 8-4) took that lead late, and we could have crumbled at that point, but we really battled back to beat a ranked team,” said St. John’s Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico. “The kids played really well and played incredibly hard.”
The win marks the second time the Red Storm have beaten Georgetown since 1999, snapping a six-game losing streak against the Hoyas.
“I think we talked about Rutgers being a signature win to get into the (NCAA) Tournament, and now this just helps our resume of getting into the tournament tremendously,” said Barnes Arico.
With her 15-point performance, Burakowski had tallied three consecutive games of double-digit point totals, which she attributed to getting better shot opportunities.
“I feel like a lot of teams are starting to give me open looks,” said Burakoski. “So once I hit the first one I just get going and make the second one. It just keeps building up.”
Nadirah McKenith had 13 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists while playing through a lingering ankle injury, a performance that landed her on this week’s Big East Honor Roll.
“She was unbelievable. I just looked at her stat line, she almost had a triple-double. She got a tremendous rebound for us, she made all of those freethrows at the end of the game with her injury. And she’s just big time,” said Barnes Arico. “She’s the difference in our team. And now with her going down is a little bit of a concern because she’s had that ankle injury all year long.”
Da’Shena Stevens also had a big game for the Red Storm, as she had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
“We lost a couple of tough games this season, so we wanted to come out tonight and just keep fighting no matter what,” said Stevens. “Georgetown is a great team with the way they fought back towards the end. But we just held it together and that shows a lot about our team and how much we’ve grown
this season.”
