The No. 6-seeded St. John’s Red Storm’s season came to a premature end on March 7, as they fell to the No. 3-seeded Seton Hall Pirates, 63-61.
Despite sweeping the regular season series, St. John’s could not overcome a dominant performance from Jordana Codio, who led the Pirates with 35 points.
Jailah Donald was at the top of the Johnnies’ stat sheet, scoring 15 points with four assists and four rebounds. Brooke Moore and Shaulana Wagner were the supporting cast, tallying 11 points in a losing effort.
“I think a game that we felt obviously you can win, not to get shot at the end, is a difficult way to go out,” said St. John’s head coach Joe Tartamella following the loss.
“Certainly disappointed with the outcome, but I think in terms of what these guys have done throughout the year, we’ll see what happens in terms of post-season, but I’m proud of how they played this year.”
If St. John’s won the conference tournament, they could have solidified a spot in the upcoming NCAA tournament. But after faltering against Seton Hall, the Red Storm can find themselves outside of the tournament.
Wins over No. 18 Oklahoma State, Marquette and Villanova can help their record stand out come March 15’s “Selection Sunday.”
“We’re really resilient to come back from being down. We played hard. I give my teammates all the props for that. It’s a hard loss, but we’ll get back,” forward Sa’Mya Wyatt said.
Wagner and Moore put St. John’s on the board early in the first quarter. Codio scored Seton Hall’s first 10 points, with six points coming off consecutive triples. Wyatt matched Codio’s next basket, as four points from Moore and Grant brought the Pirates’ lead down to two.
Seton Hall went on an 11-2 scoring run to start the second quarter, with nine points coming from long range.
A pair of threes from Donald and Ariel Little kept the Johnnies afloat, while they faced a nine-point deficit. Kylie Lavelle’s five points and a three-pointer from Donald brought the Pirates’ lead down to five.
Still, St. John’s would have to play from behind entering the second half. Outscoring their opponent by close margins in the first two quarters gave the Pirates a 37-32 lead.
Long-range shots from both teams got the third quarter underway. Codio scored Seton Hall’s next six points, while six from Wyatt and Donald kept the Johnnies from falling behind.
Codio and Grant matched each other on three-point attempts to open the fourth quarter. Wagner scored St. John’s next nine points, bringing them within one point of reclaiming a lead.
However, Wagner would single-handedly end the Red Storm’s evening by turning the ball over. She was then forced to foul Codio, who made both free throw attempts.
Wyatt brought the Red Storm back into the affair on a turnaround jump shot. But it was too late for the Johnnies to make a comeback against Seton Hall.
St. John’s journey to the NCAA tournament might have come to an end against Seton Hall, but the final verdict won’t come until after the Big East tournament concludes on March 10.
The Red Storm will have to watch closely on March 15 to see if the selection committee gives them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
