St. John’s Battles Back in Second Half, Falls at No. 11/10 UConn, 78-63

Sunday, February 4

Storrs, Conn. (Gampel Pavilion)

3 p.m.

St. John's University

14-10,8-4Big East

No. 11/10 UConn

19-4,11-0Big East

St. John's (NY)

UConn

Jailah Donald totaled 10 points, three rebounds, one assist and a steal.

St. John’s Battles Back in Second Half, Falls at No. 11/10 UConn, 78-63

2/4/2024 7:08:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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Four Johnnies scored in double-figures at Gampel Pavilion

STORRS, Conn. – The St. John's women's basketball team battled hard and cut it to a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell at No. 11/10 UConn, 78-63.

The Red Storm went on a 16-3 run at the end of third quarter and spanning into the final frame to make it a seven-point contest with 8:55 to play inside Gampel Pavilion.

Four Red Storm players finished in double-figures on Sunday in a balanced scoring effort. St. John's (14-10, 8-4 BIG EAST) shot 58.3 percent (14-24) from field goal range in the second half.

Ber'Nyah Mayo prolonged her strong stretch of play with another strong performance. The point guard finished with a team-high 16 points, four rebounds and tied for a season-high with four steals.

Leading scorer Unique Drake added 11 of her 14 points in the latter half to finish in double-digits for the 20^th time this season.

Jillian Archer and Jailah Donald each recorded 10 points in Storrs. Archer shot an efficient 5-for-7 from the floor.

The talented scoring duo of Paige Bueckers and Aaliyah Edwards paced the Huskies on Sunday combining for 59 of UConn's 78 points.

Archer started off the scoring for the Johnnies with a hook shot for the game's first basket. After the Huskies settled in to take the early advantage, the Johnnies kept pace with them in the opening stanza. In the final minute of the first, Skye Owen drilled a triple from the corner to make it a four-point game after the opening quarter, 21-17.

After a Donald triple from the top of the key cut the UConn (19-4, 11-0 BIG EAST) lead to one, 21-20 in the first minute of the second quarter, the Huskies began to expand their lead. A transition lay-up for Edwards capped off a 17-4 spurt made it a 14-point game, 38-24, UConn's largest lead of the opening half. The Huskies were in front, 42-29, at the conclusion of the first 20 minutes.

In the third stanza, the Huskies continue to grow their advantage and a mid-range jumper from Edwards brought it to as many as 20, 57-37. The resilient Red Storm responded as Drake buried a triple to ignite the offense that scored 12 points in the final 2:22 of the third. Mayo got a floater at the buzzer to go to make it an 11-point game, 60-49, heading into the fourth.

A fastbreak lay-up from Drake and a sweet dish underneath to Archer for an easy finish concluded a 16-3 Red Storm scoring stretch and made it a seven-point affair, 60-53. The Huskies leading scorer took control as Bueckers scored seven-straight points in just 1:31 of game time. Later in the quarter, Donald finished inside through contact and converted from the free-throw line cut it back to single-digits, 69-60. The Johnnies never got any closer than that as the Huskies fought off the comeback to move to 11-0 in conference play.

The Red Storm will have a five-day break before playing Butler on the road on Friday night at 7 p.m.