St. John’s University’s women’s basketball team is set to begin its 2025-26 season with a home game against Le Moyne College at Carnesecca Arena on Monday afternoon. The match, scheduled for a 2 p.m. start, will be available for streaming on ESPN+ and live statistics can be accessed through RedStormSports.com.
Fans attending the opener have several ticket purchasing options: online via RedStormTix.com, by phone at 1-888-GO-STORM, or through email at redstormsports@stjohns.edu. The first 500 attendees will receive a team schedule poster. Additionally, the first 500 students will be given complimentary JLAB Headphones in memory of Derek “DJ” Southerland, an alumnus and devoted supporter who was known for wearing headphones at sporting events. A moment of silence will be held before tip-off to honor Southerland, who passed away in April at age 29.
Head Coach Joe Tartamella enters his fourteenth season leading St. John’s and his twenty-fourth year with the program overall. He holds a career record of 239-173 (.581) and has guided the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances, nine top-five finishes in the BIG EAST Conference, eight postseason berths, and secured the BIG EAST Tournament Championship in 2016.
This season’s roster includes six returning players from last year’s squad that achieved its third consecutive winning season and posted a strong non-conference record of 10-1. Among those returning are seniors Jailah Donald (6.1 points per game), Kylie Lavelle (7.7 PPG), and Skye Owen (7.7 PPG), who were three of the team’s top five scorers last year.
The team also welcomes six newcomers: Sa’Mya Wyatt (ASUN Freshman of the Year from Austin Peay), Beautiful Waheed (NJCAA Second Team All-American from Wabash Valley), Shaulana Wagner (one of the nation’s leaders in assists from Troy), Daniela Abies (2023-24 All-AAC Third Team honoree from Wichita State/Miami), Brooke Moore (defender from Liberty), and Kyla Hayes (three-time All-State selection from Cardinal O’Hara).
St. John’s has maintained success in home openers under Tartamella, winning eight straight since the 2016-17 season—each of their last three by margins exceeding thirty points—and holding an all-time record of 37-13 in both season and home openers dating back to 1974-75. Tartamella himself is 12-1 in such games during his tenure.
Defensively, St. John’s finished last season ranked twenty-seventh nationally among NCAA Division I teams and second in the BIG EAST for limiting opponents’ scoring to an average of 56.6 points per game.
Monday’s matchup marks the first-ever meeting between St. John’s and Le Moyne’s women’s basketball programs; Le Moyne recently moved up to NCAA Division I status prior to the 2023-24 academic year.
Le Moyne begins its own campaign under Head Coach Nick DiPillo after posting a seven-win season last year within Northeast Conference play (NEC). They return six players including sophomore Eli Clark—a Preseason All-NEC selection—who averaged over eight points per game as a freshman starter.
Following Monday’s doubleheader opener—the men’s basketball team plays Quinnipiac later that evening—St John’s women’s squad will travel to face Harvard University on Friday night.
