St. John’s Survives Hofstra Rally in Non-Conference Home Finale, 63-60

QUEENS, N.Y. — St. John’s Women’s Basketball (10-2, 1-1 BIG EAST) survived a furious Hofstra rally to secure a 63-60 win in their non-conference home finale at Carnesecca Arena. Despite building a 19-point first-half lead, the Red Storm had to dig deep late, overcoming rebounding woes and defensive lapses to notch their third straight victory in front of 881 fans.

First Half: Fast Start and Defensive Discipline

The Red Storm came out aggressively, with senior forward Kylie Lavelle setting the tone early. Lavelle finished with a game-high 17 points, including 11-of-12 shooting from the free throw line—becoming the first St. John’s player since 2020 to make 10 consecutive free throws. Her early threes and relentless drives helped St. John’s open up an 18-9 lead after one quarter and a 34-19 edge at halftime.

“We did a really good job of defending without fouling in the first half,” said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. “We played fairly well, though we were a little lackadaisical in areas.”

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Second Half: Cracks Emerge, Role Players Step Up

Hofstra responded in the second half, dominating the glass and capitalizing on St. John’s defensive lapses. The Pride outscored the Red Storm 22-12 in the fourth, fueled by Sandra Magolico’s 17 points and Ema Karim’s timely threes off the bench. St. John’s struggled to keep Hofstra off the boards and saw their lead shrink to just one with five minutes to play.

Coach Tartamella acknowledged the issues: “The second half was the first time I’ve seen us show some cracks defensively, especially in terms of how we were playing. The actual reality was we got our butts kicked on the glass. That’s why they came back.”

With key player Sky sidelined, the Red Storm made on-the-fly adjustments. Redshirt junior Daniela Abies provided a crucial spark with a late three-pointer, and sophomore Janeya Grant (12 pts) delivered the dagger triple with 24 seconds left. Senior Brooke Moore added 13 points, including a deep three to reclaim the lead late.

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Clutch Plays and Key Contributions

With the game in the balance, St. John’s role players delivered. Redshirt junior Daniela Abies drilled a crucial three-pointer late in the shot clock to halt Hofstra’s momentum. Moore (13 pts) and Grant (12 pts) each hit pivotal threes in the final minutes, with Grant’s triple at 24 remaining giving St. John’s a two-possession lead. Joe Tartamella praised the unexpected boost from Danny Abies: “She works every day on getting shots up. Today it paid off. She made a huge one that gave us more life.”

Coach Tartamella credited the team’s resilience: “To hold our ground at the end was good. I’m proud of them for figuring it out on the fly, especially with Sky out. Unexpected contributions from players like Danny Abies were huge.”

Lavelle credited her aggressive mindset: “I was being more aggressive today, looking for my shot. Getting to the free-throw line was a big thing, and knocking them down.”

Coach’s Takeaways and What’s Next

Despite the win, Coach Tartamella wasn’t satisfied: “We certainly didn’t finish the way I would have hoped. But to get the win, obviously, is big, and you’ve got to move on to the next one. This was a long stretch for us.”

Looking ahead, St. John’s faces New Haven before opening Big East play against Villanova. The focus: “Playing hard, maintaining focus for the full 40 minutes, and cleaning up the rebounding and defensive lapses.”

Final Box Score Highlights

• Lavelle: 17 pts, 4 reb, 11-12 FT
• Moore: 13 pts, 4 reb
• Grant: 12 pts, 2-6 3PT
• St. John’s: 35.4% FG, 30.8% 3PT, 87.5% FT
• Hofstra: 36.7% FG, 33.3% 3PT, 78.6% FT

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🏀 Go Johnnies! 🔴⚪️