St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
18-9 (10-6)
Providence
10-16 (2-13)
St. John's Takes Down Providence, 71-47
2/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Behind a 17-point effort from senior guard Aaliyah Lewis, the St. John's women's basketball team defeated Providence, 71-47, at Alumni Hall in Providence Friday night.
"I'm proud of our effort for 40 minutes tonight," Head Coach Joe Tartamella said. "I thought we really locked in and guarded, which allowed us to control the tempo in the game. We had some great efforts from multiple players, which is what we will need as we head into our next game."
Lewis, who also dished out four assists without committing a turnover in 32 minutes, shot 7-for-9 from the field and hit two of her three tries from deep. The 5-5 guard from Staten Island, N.Y., scored 17 points for the second-straight game and reached double digits for the third time in the past four games.
Jade Walker scored 14 points in just 20 minutes of action. The senior was 6-for-12 from the field and grabbed six rebounds while dishing out three assists. The Maplewood, N.J., native has now scored in double figures 20 times this season.
Akina Wellere chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. The sophomore from Chicago, Ill., hit five of her 10 attempts from the floor, including two of her five tries from behind the arc.
Starting for the third straight game, Maya Singleton came one point shy of her second double-double since entering the starting lineup. The junior from Indian Head, Md., grabbed 11 rebounds and scored nine points in 32 minutes. Over the past three games, Singleton is averaging 13.0 rebounds per outing.
As a team, St. John's (18-9, 10-6 BIG EAST) hit 51.9 percent of its tries from the floor (27-for-52), marking the third time in the last four games that the Johnnies have hit at least 50.0 percent of their shots from the field. Defensively, the Red Storm held Providence (10-16, 2-13 BIG EAST) to 37.5 percent from the floor.
The Red Storm outscored Providence, 28-12, down low and turned 13 Friar turnovers into 13 points. Additionally, St. John's was able to register 12 second-chance points while limiting Providence to just six.
St. John's used a pair of runs to take control early in the contest. The Red Storm scored the game's first five points. After Providence scored to make it 7-4 with 6:29 to go in the opening period, the Johnnies went on a 13-2 run that closed out the first quarter. Lewis, who had six points during the spurt, started things off with a three. Later on, Crystal Simmons hit one of her two from behind the arc. Singleton capped the run with a lay-up with 40 seconds left in the period.
In the second with St. John's leading 24-11 midway through the quarter, Wellere bookended an 8-0 run with a pair of three pointers. In between Wellere's triples, Singleton converted a lay-up. The Friars responded with four unanswered points, but Simmons hit a three with 2:51 left before the break to give the Red Storm a 35-15 advantage entering the locker room.
Throughout the third, St. John's continued to build its lead and led by as many as 25 points, 50-25, after Walker converted a lay-up with 2:08 left in the third. Late in the period, Walker hit a pair of free throws to make it 52-27 before Providence hit a jumper with 38 seconds left in the quarter. St. John's took a 52-29 lead entering the fourth.
Over the final 10 minutes, St. John's outscored Providence, 19-18, to close out its sixth win in the last eight games. Friday's win also marked the 14th-straight over the Friars in the all-time series. Dating back to the 2003-04 season, the Red Storm have now won 19 of the last 20 meetings between the two schools.
The Johnnies are back in action on Sunday when they take on Creighton in Omaha. The Red Storm and Bluejays will square off on national television with the game being carried on the YES Network in New York. The opening tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET.
