It was a tight game with neither team building a double figure lead. In the end, St. John’s University women’s basketball prevailed 51–46 over Villanova University. The game marked the women’s team’s first time at Madison Square Garden since 2019. It was the second game of a double header, with the Red Storm men’s team defeating Fordham University 77–55 in game one.
As evidenced by the score, neither team had a stellar night offensively. It was the first Big East Conference game of the season for both teams and St. John’s first win over Villanova in quite some time—the Wildcats are in the post-Maddy Siegrist era (she is now in the WNBA).
“To finish the way that we did, I think, is a real testament to the grit that they’ve had, resilience they’ve had, in a year that’s been frustrating at times,” said St. John’s Head Coach Joe Tartamella. “Also, we’re starting to see some of the frustration turn into execution.
“To be able to win a game like this where it’s nip-and-tuck throughout…we were prepared enough to be ready,” he added. “We stayed in the game and we grinded it, and I think we had enough confidence to know what was going to happen.”
Tartamella and players Jillian Archer and Jailah Donald all expressed gratitude for being able to play at the Garden. “Going into it, we were super-excited,” said Archer, a graduate student forward, who had a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. “The energy was really great.”
It was a breakout game for sophomore guard Donald. “To play on a big stage like Madison Square Garden was an amazing opportunity,” said Donald, who had 12 points and six rebounds, earning praise from Tartamella for her impact on the game. “[I need] to keep being very consistent moving forward.”The Red Storm have two non-conference games and then resume Big East play on January 3 on home court vs. Marquette.
“Everybody in the Big East is very good, and the competition is great, so [I’m] really just bringing my all every single game and trying to stay focused on what we need to do,” said Archer. “When we focus, lock in, and really try to execute the game plan, it shows. We did that today. It’s continuing to do that [that will keep us winning].”
