March 20, 2012
A dramatic, last-second layup by junior guard
Nadirah McKenith catapulted third-seeded St. John’s into the
second round of the NCAA women’s tournament with a 69-67 win over
Creighton on March 18.
With the victory, the
Red Storm is scheduled to make its third-straight NCAA
tournament second-round appearance. They will play sixth-seeded
Oklahoma at 9:30 p.m. on
March 20.
St. John’s shook the world of women’s basketball in February
when the team defeated the University of Connecticut by 57-56,
ending the Huskies’ 99-game home winning streak. After the win,
President Barack Obama picked St. John’s as one of his favorites to
reach the Final Four.
McKenith clinched the game after grabbing an inbounds pass from
St. John’s forward
Da’Shena Stevens. She raced up the left sideline and launched
the winning shot. “It was an exciting finish,” said Head Coach
Kim Barnes Arico. “Nadirah made a tremendous play down at the
end to get us the win.”
ESPN named McKenith the Capital One Player of the Game. With a
4-0 record, Coach Barnes Arico is undefeated in first-round NCAA
tournament appearances.