Published: January 13, 2007
PITTSBURGH, Pa.
Kia Wright led all players with 23 points and
10 assists, and Angel Tate turned in a
high-quality 17-point, nine-rebound performance to help the St.
John's women’s basketball team to a 76-69 victory over 23rd-ranked
Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon at the Petersen Events Center.
With the win, which was the Red Storm’s first road league
victory of the year, St. John’s improved to 5-10 overall , 1-3 in
the BIG EAST. Pittsburgh, ranked No. 23 in the Jan. 9 ESPN/USA
Today Coaches Poll, fell to 13-3, 1-2 in the league.
Wright was characteristically solid, knocking down four
3-pointers and notching her first double-double of the year with 10
assists. Tate, meanwhile, had perhaps the best game of her career,
shooting 7-for-13 from the field for her 17 points and hauling
down nine rebounds.
Pittsburgh rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to tie
the game at 61-61 with 6:15 left to play. On the Red Storm’s next
possession, Tate finished a pass in the low post from
Wright, connecting on a layup to give St. John’s a 63-61
lead and converting what would turn out to be the game-winning
basket.
Over the next four minutes, St. John’s got a free throw from
Tate and a three-point play from Wright to take a 67-61 lead with
less than three minutes left in the game.
Down the stretch, Monique McLean was a perfect
4-for-4 from the free throw line and St. John’s held on for the
76-69 upset. The announced attendance at the Petersen Events Center
was 5,712, but St. John's maintained its composure despite the
at-times raucous crowd.
McLean had an excellent outing, finishing with 14 points, six
rebounds, four assists and two steals. Also in double figures for
St. John’s was Tiina Sten, who netted 10 points
and hauled down eight rebounds.
Joy McCorvey, the freshman starter for the Red
Storm, was 4-for-5 from the field for eight points to go with eight
rebounds. Rounding out the Red Storm’s all-around team effort was
Recee Mitchell, who had four points and two
rebounds in nine minutes, and Nikki Jo Rotolo, who
had four rebounds and a solid defensive effort.
St. John’s out-rebounded Pittsburgh, 43-37, and held a 45.3-42.4
advantage in field goal shooting percentage.
The Panthers were led by Marcedes Walker with 22 points and 11
rebounds and Shanvonte Zellous with 14 points.
St. John’s continues its Midwest road trip with a Tuesday night
matchup at Notre Dame. Tipoff from the Joyce Center is scheduled
for 7 p.m.
NOTES
• St. John’s (5-10, 1-3 BIG EAST) got its first conference
victory of the year as well as its first conference road victory
(second road victory overall).
• St. John’s improved to 30-14 in the all-time series against
Pittsburgh and has won six-straight in the series.
• Red Storm head coach Kim Barnes Arico
improved to 6-1 against Pittsburgh.
• St. John’s shot 53.8 percent from 3-point range (7-13), a
season-high.
• Kia Wright scored 23 points, giving her 982
for her career. She is now 18 points away from 1,000 from her
career.
• Wright shot 7-for-7 from the free throw line, matching a
season-high for the Red Storm (Tiina Sten was 7-for-7 from the
charity stripe on Nov. 24 vs. Clemson).
• Wright also matched her season-high with 10 assists and had
her first double-double of the year.