The St. John’s Red Storm earned their biggest win of the season against the Georgetown Hoyas 84-49 on Feb. 26 at Carnesseca Arena. The Red Storm celebrated senior night and honored players Ariana Vanderhoop, Lashae Dwyer, Jade Blagrove, Phoenix Gedeon and Ber’Nyah Mayo before tip-off.
“Man, it has been a joy with a lot of these guys,” Head Coach Joe Tartamella said post-game. “I have been doing this long enough where you can’t take these moments for granted for them and even for myself. Every kid’s last home game is a big deal. Whether they know it at the moment or not.”
After back-to-back losses against Big East opponents Creighton and Seton Hall, the Johnnies aimed to get back into the win column. The team also avoided the season sweep to Georgetown after the Hoyas won 56-54 on Jan. 22.
The first quarter was a close matchup as both teams struggled to score efficiently. Georgetown senior guard Kelsey Ransom (14 pts., 4 ast.) was the primary source of offense for the Hoyas as she scored or assisted on 11 of the team’s 14 first-quarter points. St. John’s remained only one point behind.
The second frame was more of Ransom, as she scored another five points. The Hoyas could use their size advantage to get rebounds and points in the paint. Dwyer (25 pts., 2 ast.) kept the Red Storm in the game as she scored seven points in the period. Georgetown took a 34-29 lead into the half.
“Both teams were in a coma, and whoever woke up first was probably going to win,” Tartamella said about the first half.
The third quarter was St. John’s dominance. They outscored the Hoyas 30-7 in the period. Red Storm graduate guard Mayo (20 pts., 5 ast., 4 reb.) scored and assisted on nine of those points to help the Johnnies gain control of the game.
St. John’s frustrated the Hoyas defensively during the third quarter, forcing five turnovers and scoring 10 fast break points. Frustration seemed to boil over after an altercation between Ransom and senior forward Phoenix Gedeon (8 pts., 6 reb., 4-7 FG), which resulted in double technical fouls before Georgetown junior guard Victoria Rivera (2 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast) shoved Gedeon, causing Rivera to get ejected.
The team hit six triples to take a 59-41 lead into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was the same, with Mayo and Dwyer combining for 19 points to put the game out of reach for Georgetown. The lead allowed Tartamella to ensure all senior players could get minutes. The second half was an efficient showing from the Johnnies as they closed the game out 83-49.
“It was probably the best twenty minutes that we’ve played all year in terms of executing, making shots, and making it difficult,” Tartamella said. The third quarter was really good, and in the fourth, we kind of stayed with it.”
Besides Mayo and Dwyer’s scoring outburst, freshman guard Janeya Grant (9 pts., 1 reb., 3-6 FG) and junior guard Skye Owen (9 pts., 5 ast., 4 reb.) combined for 18 points off the bench.
“Always be aggressive and be you,” Grant said when asked what she picked up from her senior teammates throughout this season.
St. John’s will finish the season on the road against DePaul on Mar. 2 in Chicago.
To access the final box score, click here.
