By Dean Koutouratsas (@therealestdk777)
NEW YORK — St. John’s women’s basketball team won its third straight game and is off to a 3-0 start after downing Quinnipiac, 73-52, at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday afternoon. The win marks the Johnnies’ third straight victory over the Bobcats, who they have faced four times in program history.
“I thought today we played hard,” head coach Joe Tartamella said. “They play really hard. I don’t know if we played overly smart at times in terms of using or quickness and physicality to our advantage in terms of pressuring.”
Graduate guard Ny’Ceara Pryor led the Red Storm with 16 points, 11 assists and five rebounds without turning the ball over in 30 minutes of action, recording the first double-double of points and assists in program history since 2020. Reserve guard Olivia Tucker led all scorers, registering 19 points with three 3-pointers. On defense, she recorded three steals, contributing to the Johnnies’ 15 total steals. Senior guard Brooke Moore also contributed 14 points with three steals and an assist.
“It was very motivating,” Tucker said of Pryor’s performance. “Like Ny’Ceara said, it really goes bask to her pushing the ball and looking out for us in transition. I think that also gave us momentum.”
St. John’s struggled to get much going in the first quarter against Quinnipiac, missing its first eight attempts. Facing an early deficit, the Red Storm responded with six points to tie the game at the 4:50 mark. The Johnnies added 18 points to their total by the end of the quarter to take a 14-point lead. Tucker accounted for 14 points in the opening period as she recorded two steals on defense. Tucker, as well as St. John’s, slowed down to start the second quarter, scoring three points in the first four minutes.
The Red Storm continued to leave possessions empty handed, missing two open shots before Pryor knocked down an open mid-range jumper. The Johnnies ended the second stanza with eight points while Quinnipiac took advantage of the low scoring effort to cut the deficit to eight, with the score being 32-24 at halftime.
St. John’s opened the third quarter with renewed energy, posting 10 points to extend its lead to 13 in the first four minutes. During this stretch, forward Daniela Abies tallied her first six of eight points while Pryor scored twice to reach 13 points. After that, Pryor converted on a three-point play to keep the offense afloat. Moore scored on a layup at the end of the quarter to give the Johnnies a 15-point lead over the Bobcats.
In the fourth quarter, the Red Storm extended their lead to 19. Not long after, Janeya Grant knocked down a long-range shot to increase the margin to 20. Tucker followed up with a triple from the corner. With a 21-point lead at the end of the game, St. John’s put away Quinnipiac to secure its third win of the season.
“I think we stayed within ourselves,” Tartamella said of what changed in the second half. “I thought our shot selection was poor and we were being a little bit selfish in the first half, but then getting Daniela back in was a big help in terms of her energy level that she brings, so in that case it helped jumpstart us.”
Overall, the Red Storm made 42.3 percent (30-of-71) of its attempts. The Bobcats, on the other hand, made just 39.1 percent (18-of-46) of their shots. The Johnnies also scored 24 points off turnovers and 13 off second-chance attempts, and also added 18 off fast breaks.
After taking down Quinnipiac, St. John’s finishes its season-opening homestand when it hosts Rhode Island on Saturday at Carnesecca Arena, in a 2 p.m. tipoff.
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