The St. John’s University women’s basketball team hasn’t produced the results they hoped for when the season began. Heading into last night’s (Wednesday) against Creighton on the road, the Johnnies were 14-11 overall and 4-10 in Big East play. With three regular season games remaining, including Sunday’s matchup at home versus Seton Hall, their only road to the NCAA’s March Madness postseason is winning the Big East Tournament, which will begin on March 7 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
This past Sunday was an uplifting day for the St. John’s squad and Madison Square Garden was a sea of red. Following the nationally ranked No. 10 St. John’s men’s basketball team’s 79-73 win over Creighton, the women’s team defeated Butler 65-43. Despite the crowd thinning out for the women, the Johnnies ladies did not let that dim their spirits as they dominated from start to finish.
“As a kid coming here to watch games, now being on the floor coaching, and then to see our players be able to have moments like they did tonight in this environment is something I’ll never forget,” said Red Storm head coach Joe Tartamella. “I’ve been in games here where we filled [MSG] and games where it’s not as filled, but you still feel the energy of the place. … It’s been hard the last few weeks, so the way that they played tonight was special.”
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Lashae Dwyer led all scorers with 21 points. Phoenix Gedeon had 13 points and nine rebounds. Ber’Nyah Mayo had 11 points. Tartamella noted that Dwyer controlled the floor in terms of picking her spots.
“I’m very grateful for this moment right here, grateful to be here,” said Dwyer, a senior guard in her first year at St. John’s. “I actually came to the game very nervous because of this arena, so I’m happy to get this W for my team.”
Dwyer felt the energy from her teammates during the game’s first quarter and her nerves subsided. Playing at the “world’s most famous arena,” also known as the “Mecca of basketball,” was a blessing for her. She will carry that positive energy into the remainder of the season.
It’s been an up-and-down season for this team. They opened their schedule with a promising 10-1 mark facing non-conference opponents. The only loss was a hard-fought 54-52 battle against Harvard. But their winning trend came to a halt when Big East play began. The Red Storm lost their first four games and has won just four since. Looking ahead, getting an invitation to one of college basketball’s postseason tournaments — they played in the WBIT last season — is attainable with a solid finish.