Butler Downs St. John's, 66-45, at Hinkle Fieldhouse

Sunday, January 6

Indianapolis, IN (Hinkle Fieldhouse)

1:00 PM

St. John's University

8-5

Butler University

13-1

St. John's

Butler

Butler Downs St. John's, 66-45, at Hinkle Fieldhouse

1/6/2019 3:37:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Qadashah Hoppie led the Red Storm with a team-high 14 points

Playing its final opponent of its BIG EAST three-game road stretch, the St. John's women's basketball team struggled offensively on Sunday afternoon at Hinkle Fieldhouse, falling to Butler, 66-45.

Qadashah Hoppie was a bright spot on an otherwise lackluster afternoon, tallying 14 points, including a pair of shots from beyond the arc. The Staten Island native also grabbed five rebounds and a trio of steals on the afternoon.

Hoppie was the only member of the Red Storm (8-6, 1-2 BIG EAST) to reach double figures, as Tiana England finished with nine points while Alisha Kebbe and Akina Wellere added six points apiece.

The team's 45 points marked a season-low and the program's lowest output since a 49-44 loss to Providence last season.

Despite the Johnnies' loss, Butler (14-1, 4-0 BIG EAST), who leads the conference in rebounding margin, was held to 27 boards on the game while the Red Storm finished with 34.

After Butler jumped out to a five-point lead in the opening minutes of the first quarter, St. John's started to chip away at the Bulldogs' advantage, pulling within one, 8-7, entering the media timeout.

On the other end of the timeout Kayla Charles capped off the Johnnies' 6-0 run, converting on a Butler turnover to give St. John's a 9-8 advantage with just over three minutes to play. The Bulldogs responded outscoring the Red Storm, 5-2, to lead, 13-11, after the first 10 minutes of action.

England led the Red Storm offensively in the opening quarter with six points, draining all three of her tries from the floor.

Butler held the Johnnies without a point for the first 4:47 of the second quarter, using an 11-0 run to extend its lead, 24-11, with just over five minutes remaining in the half.

Freshman Kadaja Bailey snapped the Red Storm's scoreless drought at the midway mark of the second stanza. This ignited an 11-2 spurt for the Johnnies as Wellere followed with a fast break drive through traffic. Hoppie then erupted on a personal 7-2 run to pull the visiting side within four, 26-22, at the intermission.

At the half Hoppie led St. John's with seven points on a 3-of-8 shooting effort from the field. All seven of the sophomore's points came in the final two minutes of the second quarter. The Staten Island native also recorded a steal in the opening half.

England was solid for the Red Storm early, making three of her six shot attempts in the opening 20 minutes of action.

Similar to the start of the second quarter, Butler controlled the offensive momentum after the break, using an 11-1 run out of the gate to extend its lead to 37-23. The Bulldogs held the Johnnies to just three shot attempts from the floor with 7:25 to play in the stanza.

Leading by 16, 46-30, with just two minutes to go in the third quarter, Butler built its lead to as many as 21, its largest lead of the afternoon up to that point, before closing out the third quarter with a 54-36 edge.

Both teams were scoreless over the opening minutes of the final frame before the Bulldogs drained a pair of free throws at the 6:41 mark, continuing to build upon their lead.

Butler maintained its momentum offensively down the stretch, outscoring the Red Storm, 12-9, in the final 10 minutes to ultimately claim the victory.

St. John's will return to action with a Friday matinee, playing host to Providence at Carnesecca Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 11 a.m. on BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN).