Hrynko lifts DePaul to 84-75 OT win over St. John's women

NEW YORK (AP) - Brittany Hrynko scored 25 points to help DePaul beat St. John's 84-75 in overtime on Friday in front of the first sellout crowd in Red Storm women's basketball history.

DePaul (13-5, 5-1 Big East) scored the first seven points of the extra session to take an 80-73 lead and St. John's (13-5, 4-2) couldn't recover. This game was a rematch of last season's Big East tournament championship game, which the Blue Demons won.

St. John's had a chance to win in regulation, but couldn't hold on to a late lead. The Red Storm led 71-68 when Aaliyah Handford made one of two free throws with just over a minute left.

After a 3-pointer by Hrynko cut it to one, the teams traded free throw attempts. Danaejah Grant only hit one of two and then Brooke Schulte hit both hers with 17 seconds remaining to tie the game.

Handford had a chance to win it at the end of regulation but her 3-pointer from well beyond the top of the key was off the mark. Handford finished with 25 points to lead St. John's, while Grant added 23.

The game was the annual field-trip day and drew 5,602 enthusiastic fans.

TIP-INS:

DePaul: The Blue Demons had lost their three previous overtime games, falling to Northwestern, Notre Dame and Villanova.

St. John's: The previous record crowd for women's basketball was 5,018 for another field-trip day against South Florida on Feb. 8, 2012.

UP NEXT:

DePaul: Visits Seton Hall on Sunday

St. John's: Hosts Marquette on Sunday.