St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
15-4 (6-2BE)
Butler
7-12 (2-6BE)
St. John's Cruises Past Butler, 68-41
1/22/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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| Box Score (PDF) | Postgame Quotes | VIDEO: Highlights
QUEENS, N.Y. - For just the second time this season, four Johnnies finished in double figures, as the Red Storm allowed season-low 41 points in a 27-point victory over Butler on Friday night in Carnesecca Arena.
"I'm happy that we were able to get a win," said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. "I thought we did a great job in the first and second quarter to take a hold of the game with our defensive effort. Butler struggled shooting the ball tonight and we were able to take advantage of that. Effort for us was really important. We had four players in double figures and having 21 assists is great to see. I was very pleased with our effort and we need to get ready for Sunday against Xavier."
Aliyyah Handford led the way for St. John's (15-4, 6-2 BIG EAST) with 16 points. The senior guard from Newark, N.J., recorded her first double-double of the season, grabbing 10 boards. She also dished out two assists, had two steals and a block.
Imani Littleton set a number of career highs against the Bulldogs (7-12, 2-6 BIG EAST), narrowly missing a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds. The sophomore from San Diego, Calif., also registered a career-best two blocks.
The leading scorer in the BIG EAST, Danaejah Grant tallied 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds in a well-rounded effort.
The last of four Johnnies to reach double figures, Jade Walker recorded 12 points, four rebounds and three assists in just 18 minutes of action.
Akina Wellere scored all eight of her points in the final stanza, while Jordan Agustus added two points and four rebounds.
Sandra Udobi played 17 minutes, grabbing three boards and dishing out a career-high three assists.
Aaliyah Lewis tied a season-high with seven assists on Friday, surrendering only one turnover in the process.
After struggling on the boards last weekend against Villanova, St. John's put up its best effort of the season on the glass against Butler, pulling down 46 caroms.
St. John's also put up a season-high in the assist column, dishing out 21 helpers on 29 made field goals.
The Red Storm registered one of its best defensive performances of the season in the first quarter, holding Butler to just two points on one-of-nine shooting. The Johnnies also forced five turnovers in the period and held a 12-2 lead after 10 minutes of action.
Butler snapped its 11:49 scoring drought with a fast-break layup just under three minutes into the second quarter, but the Red Storm continued to apply pressure and extend its lead.
Ahead 19-8 after a Butler layup with five and a half minutes to play, the Red Storm closed the half on a 10-0 run, taking a 29-8 advantage into the locker room.
The Johnnies continued their run on the other side of the break, scoring the second half's first four points to jump ahead 33-8 less than two minutes into the stanza.
St. John's continued to pour it on the Bulldogs over the remainder of the third quarter, bumping its lead to 31, 49-18, by the end of the quarter.
Butler finally found its offensive rhythm in the final stanza, tallying 23 points. The deficit was too much to overcome for the visitors; however, as the Red Storm ended the game with a 68-41 advantage.
St. John's returns to action on Sunday afternoon, hosting Xavier at 2 p.m. on BIG EAST Digital Network.
