QUEENS, N.Y. - Survive and advance has become the mantra of March, and the St. John’s women’s basketball team continues to do just that with a 53-48 victory in the WNIT Second Round over Penn on Monday evening at Carnesecca Arena.
Leading by three with just nine seconds remaining, the Red Storm (18-14) survived when a Lauren Whitlatch game-tying triple rattled off the rim and out as the Johnnies advance to play Duquesne on Thursday in the Round of 16, hosting for only the second time in school history.
Qadashah Hoppie led the way for the Johnnies with 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field. The BIG EAST Freshman of the Year’s only miss from the field came on her first attempt of the game, while also recording a huge steal late in the fourth quarter.
Akina Wellere joined Hoppie in double figures with 10 points, a pair of assists, two steals, and a rebound.
Imani Littleton recorded a game-high 37 minutes and was a force on the defensive end with seven boards and a pair of rejections.
Alisha Kebbe shined on the final defensive play of the game when the sophomore guard made a terrific closeout on the game-tying attempt to hold on for the victory. Kebbe finished with eight points, two rebounds, a block, and a steal.
Whitlatch and Eleah Parker led the game with 15 points each for the Quakers (22-9), with Whitlatch finishing 5-of-10 from long range and Parker recording a double-double with 11 boards.
After shooting only 28.2% through three quarters, St. John’s hit on seven of its nine shots (77.8%) during the final 10 minutes to push the Johnnies to the win.
Both teams finished with a total of 33 rebounds in the contest, with Penn recording 13 on the offensive glass and the Red Storm grabbing 22 on the defensive end.
Offense was tough to find in the early going for the Red Storm, hitting on only one of its first six attempts through the opening five minutes of the first quarter.
Trailing 6-2, St. John’s dialed up the intensity on both sides of the ball. After Tiana England found Littleton with a perfect pass leading to a layup, Wellere picked the pocket of her opponent and kicked it to Kebbe for an open 3-pointer and the 7-6 at the game’s first media timeout.
Following the media timeout, the Johnnies stretched their run to 11-0 with suffocating defense and good ball movement. The Red Storm held the Quakers without a point for over six minutes and received buckets from three different players on the offensive end to lead 14-8 after one frame.
Early in the second stanza, it was Penn who provided the stout defense to claw its way back into the game. The Quakers held the Johnnies scoreless for 4:16 while hitting of trio of triples to even the game at 16 with 4:47 to play in the first half.
Penn took its first lead since the opening two minutes of the game when Whitlatch hit her third and fourth shots from deep to put the Quakers up 22-17 with just under three to play in the half.
The lead remained five for the visitors until a Wellere three cut the deficit to 24-22 after 20 minutes of play.
Whitlatch led all scorers with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting, all coming from beyond-the-arc, while Hoppie paced the Red Storm with five points.
Both teams bookended 35% from the field in the opening half, but the 5-for-9 effort from three by the Quakers proved to be the difference heading into the third quarter.
St. John’s opened the second half with heavy pressure and high pace, looking to make life difficult on the visitors. The Johnnies forced an early trio of turnovers and received a pair of converted shots at the line from Littleton to take a 27-26 lead.
Both teams struggled to find the basket during the middle portion of the quarter with neither team scoring a point for a combined 3:28. The Quakers snapped the drought with a steal and layup before Hoppie replied with a fake and pull-up jumper to put the Red Storm in front, 29-28, with 2:42 remaining in the third period.
Wellere ended the quarter with some flair as the junior took a cross-court pass from England, faked a shot, and hit a step-back triple at the buzzer for a 32-30 lead for the home team heading into the final quarter.
The teams traded buckets in the opening minutes of the frame, but Penn regained the lead following a Parker and-1, giving Maya Singleton four fouls with eight to play.
St. John’s responded again with back-to-back baskets by Kebbe and Singleton to push the advantage back to three, 38-35, and forced a Penn timeout with 6:57 remaining.
Out of the timeout, momentum shifted back to the Quakers with a 5-0 spurt to put the visitors back in front, 40-38, before Hoppie answered with a three to quickly restore the Red Storm advantage.
Hoppie then stole the subsequent inbound pass and allowed Wellere to draw a foul and earn a trip to the line. The junior drained both from the charity stripe for a three-point lead with less than five minutes remaining.
The Johnnies continued to build their lead over the final minutes of the game, embarking on an 8-2 run to build a 51-45 advantage with just 1:54 to play. England highlighted the run with a great steal, drive to the hoop, and layup.
Penn would not go quietly, however, as Whitlatch hit her fifth three of the game and forced a turnover to give the Quakers a chance to tie the game with a minute to go.
Singleton flexed her muscles on the defensive end with a steal, but was called for an offensive foul to send her to the bench and giving Penn the ball with nine seconds to play down by three.
Whitlatch had a look from three to send the game to overtime, but the ball rattled off the front rim as the Red Storm held on for the victory.
St. John’s will host Duquesne at 7 p.m. on Thursday in Carnesecca Arena for the WNIT Round of 16.