On Jan. 24, the St. John’s women’s basketball team faced the Villanova Wildcats. Previously, the Red Storm and Wildcats have met 11 times over the last five years, with the most recent game on Dec. 22, 2025, when the Red Storm fell to Villanova, 85-48.

This time around was a different story.

The Red Storm gained initial possession but Villanova scored the first points off of a three-pointer. From the beginning, it was a back-and-forth battle for rebounds as the score remained close at 5-4.

With an assist by Brooke Moore, Beautiful Waheed made one of the most notable three-pointers at the beginning of the evening, bringing the score to 7-5. From that point on, St. John’s was locked in. 

Rebounds proved to be a real driving force for the Johnnies, quickly extending their lead to 17-5 — a 12-point difference.

As the first half continued, St. John’s kept their foot on the gas. Daniela Abies, Sa’Mya Wyatt and Shaulana Wagner led the charge, relying on strong teamwork to keep Villanova at arm’s length. The Johnnies held their lead, ending the first half with a score of 40-22.

Abies was a continuous force throughout the first half, continuing with steals, shots and assists, reaching six rebounds overall. 

“She’s getting better and better,” head coach Joe Tartamella said on Abies’ development. “She plays with a lot of passion, and she’s a huge difference maker for us. She’s won a lot of games for us. I think she’ll be even better than she is right now.”

The second half started with a Villanova possession, immediately setting the tone for a physical battle. The Wildcats attempted to claw their way back into the game, but Moore was a strong driving force against them, playing some of her best basketball of the season.

Although Villanova did manage to gain a few points, it was immediately shut down by Waheed. Between her rebounds and assists with Janeya Grant, the duo was unstoppable.

As the time on the clock ticked down, there were attempts from Villanova to do damage control, but the damage was already done. With less than three minutes on the clock and a free throw from Wagner bringing the score to 69-49, it was clear who the winners were. 

The final score was 71-58.

With the Johnnies’ next game against Creighton on Jan. 28th, and the next home game against Xavier on Feb. 4th, it only means the Big East Tournament is getting closer.