
St. John’s bested Xavier 55-44 in a Big East matchup in Carnesseca Arena on Feb. 2. Both teams sported Black Fives “Pioneers of Change” warm-up jerseys to honor the legacy of African Americans in basketball for Black History Month.
The Johnnies aimed to put together some wins after a challenging string of games in January. The last time the Red Storm faced Xavier, they won 60-39 convincingly. St. John’s was coming off a win at home against Providence on Jan. 29. The Red Storm started their offense slowly in the first quarter, shooting 18% from the field, 0% from the three and took no trips to the free throw line for the period. The Johnnies’ defense kept them within striking distance going into the second.
Xavier was forced into two shot clock violations late in the first, leaving the score 4-11.
Musketeer freshmen guards Lucia Martinez Lopez (8 pts., 4 ast., 4 reb.) and Meri Kanerva (17 pts., 1 ast., 1-2 FT) combined for eight points in the quarter to lead the way for the Musketeers.
Xavier got their largest lead of the game, 11, halfway through the second quarter. St. John’s flipped the game’s momentum after an offensive flurry from captain junior guard Jailah Donald (13 pts., 2 ast., 2 stl.). Donald scored 13 of the team’s 17 points, including three triples, giving the Red Storm a 21-17 lead going into halftime.
Captain graduate guard Ber’Nyah Mayo (17 pts., 5 ast., 6-6 FT) pointed toward Donald’s effort when asked about what led to the comeback.
“She pretty much carried us the whole second quarter,” Mayo said. “Even coming out of half-time, she was like, ‘listen, everybody gotta get on my level,’ so we all just fed off of that.”

The start of the second half was led by Mayo’s stellar offensive performance, scoring or assisting 13 of St. John’s 18 points in the third quarter. A floater right before the buzzer to give the Johnnies a 39-30 lead going into the final period.
On her offensive ability, Mayo said she “Stay[s] under control, read[s] the defense and honestly just tak[e] my time.”
She also spoke about how her passing opened up more scoring opportunities. “Once I get the assists going, they might think I’m starting to be a little bit passive… and it gives me more room to work.”
Head Coach Joe Tartamella gave Mayo’s performance a lot of credit for the team’s win.
“I thought [Mayo] took control of the game,” Tartamella said postgame
The Red Storm remained in control in the fourth quarter. Despite Xavier shooting 43% from three in the final stanza, the Johnnies were able to hold them off due to some key baskets from junior forward Kylie Lavelle (10 pts., 5-7 FG) and eight points from the bench.
Besides brilliant performances from starters Donald, Mayo and Lavelle, the St. John’s bench outscored Xavier’s 13-10. Freshman guard Ariel Little (3 pts, 4 ast, 2 stl) was +22 as a substitute. Coach Tartamella thought her performance was essential to the victory.
“She has the ability to change the game,” Tartamella said. “Today, she was prepared, she was ready, she was locked in and she helped us win the game. Without her, we probably don’t win the game.
St. John’s improves to 13-9 on the season. The team will travel to Marquette on Feb. 5 for another Big East matchup.
To access the final box score, click here.