Red Storm finds its range to earn First Four win
Jayla Everett made a go-ahead shot with 0.3 seconds left as St. John’s edged Purdue, 66-64, on Thursday night in a First Four game in Columbus, Ohio.
St. John’s (23-8), a No. 11 seed making its 11th appearance in the NCAA tournament, advanced to play sixth-seeded North Carolina in the first round Saturday.
Everett curled off a screen and sank a jumper from the free throw line with 1:30 left for a 64-62 lead. But the Red Storm turned it over on its next possession, and Lasha Petree made a shot in the lane to tie it at 64-all with 30.3 left.
After a timeout, Mimi Reid dribbled down the clock before starting the offense with about 10 seconds left. Everett drove the right side of the lane and had the ball knocked loose before corralling it and sinking a shot from a difficult angle.
Everett finished with 20 points on 7-for-14 shooting and Unique Drake added 16 points with four three-pointers for St. John’s. Drake was 4 for 6 from beyond the arc, Everett made 3 of 6, and St. John’s finished 11 for 23 after entering averaging just 6.2 makes from three-point range per game.
Petree had 20 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (19-11), who were making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since 2017. Caitlyn Harper scored 14 points.
LLTENNESSEE TECH 79, MONMOUTH 69: In Bloomington, Ind., Maaliya Owens and Jada Guinn each scored 18 points as the Golden Eagles handled the Hawks in the First Four for their eighth straight victory.
Tennessee Tech (23-9), the No. 16 seed, advances to face top-seeded Indiana in the first round Saturday. The Golden Eagles won their first NCAA tournament game since 1990.
The Golden Eagles made 10 three-pointers in the first half — after averaging just 6.5 makes this season. Peyton Carter had four three-pointers, Owens sank all three of her attempts, and Jordan Brock also made three. Tennessee Tech finished the game 12 for 26 from beyond the arc.
Owens scored seven points in the third quarter, and Tennessee Tech closed on an 11-5 run for a 54-44 lead. Monmouth got within six points with 4:31 left in the fourth on a three-pointer by Ariana Vanderhoop. Reghan Grimes grabbed an offensive rebound at the other end and put it back, and Tennessee Tech’s lead didn’t drop below eight points the rest of the way.
Vanderhoop scored 17 points and Lucy Thomas added 16 for Monmouth (18-16), which was trying for its first win in the NCAA tournament since 1983. Bri Tinsley, averaging a team-high 12.1 points, was held scoreless in the first half and finished with 11.
Notre Dame’s Miles sidelined
Notre Dame point guard Olivia Miles will miss the remainder of the season with an undisclosed injury to her right knee.
The Fighting Irish (25-5) are a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament and will host No. 14 Southern Utah (23-9) on Friday. No. 11 Mississippi State faces sixthseeded Creighton in the other game.
Miles suffered the injury in a 68-65 win over Louisville in the regular season finale and sat out the ACC tournament. She will undergo surgery next week.
The second-team Associated Press all-american led Notre Dame to the ACC regular season title. She averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 2.1 steals.