With only 11 seconds left in the game, No. 16 DePaul’s Khara Smith sunk both a six-foot jump shot and St. John’s hopes of victory in its 70-67 loss Saturday.
St. John’s (19-6, 9-5) opened up the game strong, leading 20-15 at 12:26 on a three-pointer by Tiina Sten. At 3:43, however, Rachael Carney hit a three of her own that started a 7-2 DePaul run that concluded the first half.
The second half didn’t fare much better for the Red Storm, as the Blue Demons went on a 10-0 run from 18:18 to 14:04. St. John’s missed six straight shots during the time period and turned over the ball twice.
“They’re an excellent team,” St. John’s coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “They’ve got inside and outside players.”
The Red Storm were able to claw their way back and tied the game up at 67 with only 32 seconds to go on with an Angela Clark layup, assisted by Kia Wright.
Despite the Red Storm’s best efforts to win in a dramatic comeback, Smith hit her shot and the game was decided. Erin Carney hit a foul shot to give DePaul (22-5, 9-5) its final point and St. John’s was done.
Wright and Clark both had solid games, scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively. Danielle Chambers contributed with a game-high 13 rebounds and Tara Walker chipped in with 12 points.
However, the starters didn’t have much help. St. John’s was outscored in bench points 36-12 by DePaul.
DePaul had four in double figures, including Smith (13 points, six rebounds), Caprice Smith (17, five rebounds), Jenna Rubino (12) and Allie Quigley (12).
DePaul had a 33 game home winning streak until they lost to Connecticut on Jan. 28, but has not lost a game since.
“They’ve been in the top 10,” Barnes Arico said. – “I don’t think they ever really lose at home. They’re a very tough team.”
St. John’s 79, Louisville 63
For one night, the St. John’s women’s basketball team was led not by its stars, but rather by Sten and its deep bench in a 79-63 win over Louisville on Feb. 15.
With 5:35 left in the first half, St. John’s was down, 64-61, and the Finland native had a wide-open shot from behind the three-point line at the left baseline. The crowd of 1,163 held its breath. Nothing but net.
“I had open shots,” Sten said. “I had to make [them].”
She combined with Monique McLean to give the team 20 bench points.
After the shot, St. John’s never looked back.
Wright got on track in the second half and scored 19 points in total. The team cruised by a deflated Louisville in the second half.
“I was really proud of the effort and intensity that we had tonight,” coach Kim Barnes Arico said.
