On Nov. 19, St. John’s Women’s Basketball took on the No.18 ranked Oklahoma State Cowgirls in a game that shocked spectators and created excitement for what’s next. The last matchup between the Cowgirls and the Johnnies was in 2012, which the Red Storm won, but the teams are completely different now.  

The game immediately kicked off with Oklahoma State gaining possession of the ball but immediately losing it to St. John’s. With an assist from senior Kyile Lavelle, sophomore Sa’mya Wyatt was able to score the first of many points that night. Lavelle followed up with her first three-pointer, making the score 5-3.

Wyatt and Shaulana Wagner continued to put pressure on the Cowgirls with scoring and defense, and the Red Storm’s lead rose to 12-5 before a timeout was called. 

The time out itself did little to slow the Johnnies’ momentum. Despite Oklahoma’s attempts to fight back, St. John’s had a ten-point difference of 35-25.

The second half of the game saw the tides shift slightly as Oklahoma State first gained possession. The battle between both teams to see who would score the first point went on for what seemed like an endless moment until Oklahoma secured two foul shots. As the clock counted down, Oklahoma began closing the gap, a sharp reminder of its No.18 ranking.

By the second timeout of the quarter, Oklahoma had caught up all the way to 39-38 with a foul shot, making the score an even 39-39. This is where the back-and-forth battle began.

By the middle of the third quarter, any lead that St. John’s had was now nonexistent as each team fought back and forth, matching each other, 40-40. Every time a player had a break or steal, the stadium erupted in cheers and yelling. Both teams were hungry to secure the nail-biting win, ending the third quarter tied at 47-47.

The last and final quarter is where tension hit its peak. St. John’s secured the first four points, only for Oklahoma to fire back, making the score 51-49. This began a sequence of scoring, withWyatt scoring twice, bringing the score to 58-51 prior to a timeout.

With only four minutes left on the clock, the Red Storm remained composed.Although Oklahoma State shortened the difference by two, Beautiful Waheed responded on offense and instantly raised the score to 61-52. 

Oklahoma calls a timeout, but it’s clear they can’t save themselves as the difference rose to 11 points. The Cowgirls make multiple attempts to bring the score back down, but can’t as Brooke Moore, Wyatt and Wagner team up to fire shot after shot. With less than a minute on the clock, St. John’s never let up and never let the score difference drop below 5. 

The final nail in the coffin was Janeya Grant and Lavelle’s final free throws, which brought the final score to 74-67. This was the first time since Jan. 1, 2024 where St. John’s successfully defeated a ranked team. 

“The way they competed today was at the highest level I’ve seen them play since starting in the summer,” coach Tartamella said. “In terms of connectivity, we were at the highest today, so we gotta go back to work and get ready for Monday.”

With the Johnnies’ next game being against Central Connecticut State on Nov. 24 and coach Tartamella making it known he won’t let up on the players and practice, fans will be tuning in to see what moves St. John’s makes next