QUEENS, N.Y. – The Georgetown University women's basketball team fell to the St. John's University Red Storm 61-53 Friday evening in a BIG EAST Conference matchup at Carnesecca Arena in GU's regular season finale. With the loss, the Blue & Gray drops to 13-16 overall and 6-14 in BIG EAST play.

How it Happened

• Georgetown jumped out to a small lead on the impressive play of junior Jada Claude down low.
• Midway through the first quarter, St. John's (21-7, 12-7) would answer back as the lead seesawed back and forth.
• Tenacious defense by the Blue & Gray kept it close, but GU trailed 14-10 at the end of the opening stanza.
• Senior captain Graceann Bennett would find the bottom of the net in the second quarter, but her efforts could not match the Red Storm run as St. John's moved ahead by as much as nine.
• The run ended on back-to-back triples from graduate student Kristina Moore and junior Yasmin Ott, but SJU came roaring back with five quick points to force a Georgetown timeout. The Blue & Gray was behind 30-22 at the break.
• As the Red Storm continued to build the lead, Georgetown answered from the free throw line and cut it to nine on a layup from sophomore Ariel Jenkins.
• Another late triple made it 48-36 in favor of the Red Storm at the conclusion of the third.
• The Blue & Gray would not give up as a 3-pointer from Claude midway through the final stanza cut it to six 50-44 before SJU matched it on the other end.
• Despite a valiant effort, that was as close as GU would come, eventually falling 61-53.

Of Note

• Bennett led the way with 17 points and five rebounds, while Moore and Claude added 14 and 14  points, respectively.
• Claude also pulled down a game-high nine rebounds in the contest.
• The Hoyas shot 37.3% (19-51) from the field, and the Blue & Gray allowed 42.3% (22-52) shooting by the Red Storm.
• GU outrebounded St. John's 35-30 in the game, and Georgetown forced eight Red Storm turnovers on two steals.
• Jayla Everett led SJU with 17 points as one of two players in double figures.

Up Next

• The Hoyas have secured the No. 9 seed in the BIG EAST Tournament presented by JEEP Brands and will face eighth-seeded Butler next Friday at 11 a.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. 
• Fans can tune in online on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports. Click here for special University pricing.
• Live stats will be available at GUHoyas.com.