St John's Still Dancing!

Tied 13 times with eight lead changes the Red Storm beats the Oklahoma Sooners by 4 in their own house! How crazy is that!


"Overcoming a rowdy Sooners crowd, No. 3 seed St. John's defeated No. 6 seed Oklahoma, 74-70, in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Tuesday night. The Red Storm will take on Duke in the Sweet 16 of the Fresno Regional on Saturday (ESPN, 9 p.m.).

"This is one of the greatest moments in our program," Barnes Arico said. "Usually I am super professional, but tonight I wanted to celebrate with my team, because I'm so proud of what they've been able to accomplish."

In what amounted to a road game, the Red Storm knocked off the Sooners despite OU shooting 47.9 percent from the field. St. John's overwhelmed OU with its quickness and athleticism, scoring 21 points off 19 turnovers.

Point guard Nadirah McKenith was a driving force behind the Red Storm victory. After hitting the game winner to defeat Creighton on Sunday, the junior played a much better overall game on Tuesday. She finished with 13 points and seven assists with just one turnover after eight turnovers in the first round.

"I played a lot better tonight," she said. "I got my teammates involved first."

More importantly, she imposed her will on the game in the closing minutes. With the Red Storm nursing a 70-68 lead with 1:54 remaining, McKenith's smooth crossover dribble got her an easy layup. And with 20 seconds left and St. John's up by three, she hit one of two free throws to make it a two-possession game and essentially cement the victory."

"As the final buzzer sounded, there was silence throughout the Lloyd Noble Center except for a small pocket along the St. John's bench.

On the Red Storm's sideline, joy and jubilation reigned supreme. St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico hugged every Red Storm player she could find as they jumped around the court with excitement.

St. John's is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time."

Nadirah came through again and again and again!