By Art Spander
Special to NewsdaySTANFORD, Calif -- Kim Barnes Arico was aware of what was happening. Yes, the fans were screaming. No, it wasn't for the coach's St. John's women's basketball team.
With a few seconds remaining in what wound up a 55-50 win for the Red Storm over Texas Tech Saturday in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, the growing crowd at Maples Pavilion let loose.
"You mean those cheers weren't for us?'' Barnes Arico joked.
She added, "I started to look around. I'm not naive enough not to know what was happening.''
There on the video board, the Stanford team was emerging from its locker room to face UC Davis in the second game, which it won easily. Stanford will host St. John's in the second round Monday night at Maples, the campus arena.
"You face that situation when you're playing Connecticut,'' Barnes Arico said about the crowd reaction. "That's the women's game, playing on the home court of an opponent in the tournament. Maybe we'll catch them on an off night, and maybe we'll have a phenomenal night.''
The Storm (22-10) wasn't phenomenal, but it was effective. Trailing 30-28 at intermission, St. John's opened the second half with an 8-0 run. Tech didn't get a point for the first 4 minutes, 32 seconds.
Then, after Tech (22-11) tied it at 36 with 10:46 left, St. John's ran off nine straight points in three-plus minutes. At that point, Texas Tech was 4-for-22 from the floor in the second half.
"I thought our defense was really exceptional,'' Barnes Arico said. "And even though we were undersized compared to Texas Tech, we outrebounded them.''
That they did, 47-40, with Da'Shena Stevens grabbing 11.
Sophomore point guard Nadirah McKenith, injured so often earlier in the season with concussions, an ankle sprain and a bruised thumb, led St. John's with 14 points and four assists. She also had seven rebounds.
"Only the last month has she been able to practice,'' Barnes Arico said. "She does everything. Down the stretch, she got two key rebounds and made her free throws.''
Said sophomore guard Eugeneia McPherson, who starred at North Babylon, "Having Nadirah on our team is an honor. She'll throw passes that I or anyone won't see. She's always ready to make a pass.''
Both the St. John's men and women had to cross the country, or most of it. The men played their NCAA first-rounder in Denver, two time zones west of New York, and lost to Gonzaga. The women traveled three time zones, which Barnes Arico said she attempted to downplay.
"St. John's looked more comfortable than we did,'' Tech coach Kristy Curry said. "Whether it was the St. John's defense or inability to make shots, we missed a whole bunch.''
Tech missed 40 of 60, shooting 33 percent. St. John's was marginally better. "I think both of us were extremely sloppy,'' Barnes Arico said.
But one them, St. John's, also was extremely happy.
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Final Four,