Red Storm Beats No. 2 Huskies 57-56

In an upset that put St. John’s women’s basketball back in the national rankings, the Red Storm beat No. 2-ranked Connecticut 57-56 on February 18.

The win helped move the Red Storm to number 20 in the AP women’s basketball poll on Monday while the Huskies slipped from second to fourth place. The victory snapped UConn’s 99-game home winning streak.

St. John’s is now among only five teams to win at Storrs since 1993. The others are Rutgers, Tennessee, Georgia and Notre Dame.

“I thought it was a great game . . . we really stepped up to the challenge,” said Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico. “I told the kids in the locker room afterwards that they will always remember this.” Barnes Arico became St. John’s “all-time winningest coach” on February 12, when the Storm routed Rutgers 61-52.

Junior point guard Nadirah McKenith was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday — her first conference title of the season. St. John’s was trailing by two points when McKenith took the lane. She sent the ball to junior guard Shenneika Smith, who sunk a three-pointer with eight seconds left on the clock.

The team will host West Virginia at 7 p.m. tonight in Carnesecca Arena on St. John’s Queens, NY, campus.

St. John’s men’s basketball team also is making news. The team earned its second win in a row on February 20 against DePaul, 79-72 — a sweep of the regular-season series. They defeated UCLA 66-63 at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. The team welcomes Notre Dame to the Garden on Saturday, February 25. It will be the final regular-season home game of the year.