QUEENS, N.Y. — The St. John’s women’s basketball team emphatically rediscovered its offensive rhythm Friday afternoon, overwhelming Yale 88-60 at Carnesecca Arena in a performance that showcased the Red Storm’s scoring potential when firing on all cylinders.
The 88-point outburst marked St. John’s highest scoring total since a 96-63 demolition of Xavier on Feb. 6, 2022, signaling a potential offensive breakthrough for a team that had struggled to find consistency through its first three games.
Offensive Efficiency Reaches New Heights
St. John’s (3-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) shot a blistering 58.3 percent from the field (35-for-60), the program’s best single-game shooting performance since posting 60.8 percent in a WBIT First Round victory over Florida on March 21, 2024. The Red Storm was even more lethal inside the arc, converting 71.1 percent (27-38) from two-point range while dominating the paint with 50 points.
Four St. John’s players shot 83.3 percent or better from the field in a balanced offensive attack that saw the Red Storm distribute 22 assists on 35 made baskets—a testament to unselfish ball movement and improved offensive organization.
“From an offensive standpoint, our best performance in terms of being able to score it and make shots,” head coach Joe Tartamella said. “We attacked the basket more, 50 points in the paint, obviously, is a great number for us. Especially when we’ve been struggling to score 50 in a game.”
Moore, Wyatt Lead Balanced Scoring Attack
Brooke Moore paced all scorers with a career-high 16 points on 7-for-9 shooting, consistently finishing at the rim and knocking down open looks. Sa’Mya Wyatt was equally efficient with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting (87.5 percent), including a dominant eight-point stretch in the second quarter where she converted four consecutive field goals.
Beautiful Waheed continued her strong early-season form with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting, draining 3-of-4 from three-point range for her second consecutive double-digit scoring performance.
Shaulana Wagner orchestrated the offense with precision, posting nine points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting while dishing out eight assists—matching the most by a St. John’s player since Skye Owen recorded eight helpers against Xavier on Jan. 31, 2024. Wagner committed zero turnovers in her floor general role.
“I thought Wags did a great job today in terms of her facilitating from the point,” Tartamella noted. “At one time, she had eight assists, no turnovers. That’s pretty good in a game where she was able to kind of pick people apart.”
Red Storm News:
- Moore’s 15 Points Lead St. John’s Past Le Moyne 68-53 in Season Opener
- No. 7 Michigan Stuns No. 5 St. John’s 96-94 in Overtime Thriller at Madison Square Garden
Defense Fuels Transition Offense
While the offensive numbers grabbed headlines, St. John’s defensive pressure created the foundation for the blowout victory. The Red Storm forced 20 Yale turnovers and converted them into 28 points, a significant improvement over recent games where stops didn’t translate into scoring opportunities.
“Today the difference was we were able to defend and turn those turnovers into points,” Tartamella explained. “28 points off turnovers obviously helped us get to the level of scoring that we got to, where in the previous games we’ve gotten stops maybe where we needed to, but didn’t turn those into points.”
St. John’s opened with defensive intensity that set the tone immediately. Waheed hit a corner three-pointer off a feed from Kylie Lavelle to start the scoring, and Moore added a layup as the Red Storm raced to a 7-0 lead. After Skye Owen capped a personal 5-0 run with a three-pointer, St. John’s advantage ballooned to 15-4.
Yale (0-3, 0-0 Ivy League) responded with a 10-1 run to pull within 16-14 with 2:38 left in the first quarter, but the Johnnies answered with a decisive 10-0 run to close the period with a 26-14 cushion. St. John’s shot 75.0 percent (8-12) in the opening frame.
Dominant Run Puts Game Out of Reach
The Red Storm’s closing first-quarter surge extended into the second period, inflating to an 18-0 run that effectively ended the competitive portion of the game. Yale was held scoreless for 6:27 of game time during the decisive stretch, which Moore capped with a three-pointer.
Wyatt took over midway through the second quarter, scoring eight consecutive St. John’s points on four straight field goals. Freshman Kyla Hayes closed the half with her first collegiate points—a three-pointer that sent the Johnnies into the locker room with a commanding 50-25 lead.
“Our defensive energy was great,” Tartamella said. “We were able to get a couple of runouts early. I thought defensively, we took things away. Like, we just kind of shell-shocked them there for a couple of minutes.”
Depth on Display
St. John’s maintained its intensity throughout the second half, posting a third consecutive 22-plus point quarter to carry a 72-42 advantage into the final period. The comfortable margin allowed Tartamella to empty his bench, with 12 players seeing action.
Daniela Abies converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the third quarter, while Julie Bahati added a season-high six points and four rebounds. Moore pushed the lead to its largest margin, 74-42, early in the fourth quarter before the reserves closed out the victory.
The depth and energy from the bench players impressed Tartamella, who emphasized the importance of getting everyone involved while building chemistry.
“I was pleased with our effort and the ability to get all of our guys in,” he said. “That first group, it was nice to finally see a good push. And then, obviously, we kind of gave it back a little bit. But it was a great push. By then, that set the tone, I thought, for the game. And to our players’ credit, they kind of kept the foot on the gas, which is what you’re looking for.”
Areas for Improvement Remain
Despite the dominant performance, Tartamella identified areas requiring continued focus as St. John’s prepares for tougher competition ahead. The Red Storm shot just 55.6 percent (10-18) from the free-throw line, and rebounding remains a concern against more physical opponents.
“We’ve still got to continue to get better in a lot of areas,” Tartamella acknowledged. “Defensively, I thought we had some slippage today in some rotations, and then over-pursuing the ball. Offensively, just some decision-making where I thought we could have been better. But obviously, to me, it still comes back to the massive piece for us will be rebounding and the free-throw line if we really want to be able to beat, I think, some of these upper echelon teams.”
The coach also addressed a late-game incident where a St. John’s player took a shot in the final seconds with the game decided, an action Tartamella said didn’t reflect program values.
“That’s not something that I stand for or what our program stands for in terms of shooting that ball at the end of the game,” he said. “So I apologize to Yale’s program and the kids that were on the floor at the end, but it wasn’t something that should have occurred.”
Looking Ahead: Oklahoma State Test
The victory provided a confidence boost for St. John’s after a challenging early-season schedule that included road games at Harvard and Quinnipiac, along with a home contest against improved LeMoyne.
“You’re kind of seeing the stress that you need to in terms of where you need to get better,” Tartamella said of the tough non-conference slate.
That preparation will be tested Wednesday night when No. 20 Oklahoma State visits Carnesecca Arena for a 7 p.m. tip on ESPN+. The Cowgirls enter as one of the nation’s top defensive teams and will provide a significant measuring stick for the Red Storm’s progress.
“They’re a high-octane team,” Tartamella said of Oklahoma State. “It’ll be a great test for us, to be honest. It’ll be a great test for us next week against a tournament team, probably, or a team that’s vying for the tournament and postseason play in their league.”
For one afternoon at least, St. John’s showed the offensive firepower it believes it possesses when execution, ball movement, and shot-making converge. Whether that performance proves to be an outlier or a turning point will be determined in the challenging games ahead.
Game Notes: Attendance at Carnesecca Arena was 518… St. John’s held a 30-27 rebounding advantage… The Red Storm’s bench contributed 28 points… Yale was led by Ke’iara Odume and Luisa Vydrova, who each scored 12 points… Kiley Capstraw added 11 points and eight rebounds for the Bulldogs… St. John’s improved to 3-1 overall while Yale fell to 0-3.
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