By Dylan Butler
Unfortunately for Darcel Estep's squad, their 15 minute spurt in the first half was just that, a spurt, as the Bulls came back from a six-point first half deficit to defeat the Red Storm, 55-48.
Buffalo, which shocked No. 22 North Carolina, 95-89, to open the season, improved to 8-0, the best start in school history, and got a big win over the Red Storm in the first of three straight road games against Big East opponents.
“This was a tough loss, an emotional loss,” Estep said. “For the first 15 minutes we did some good things. For the last 25 minutes we didn't stay on the same page.”
The loss spoiled a breakthrough performance by Red Storm senior forward Katrina Johns in what Estep called, “the best game of her life.”
The 6-foot-2 forward, who came into the game averaging just 3.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, had 13 points (on 6-of-9 shooting) and a game-high 10 boards for St. John's (4-4).
“I thought we had it,” Johns said. “It was a tough loss. We had our spurts, but we ended up short.”
Junior guard Rasheedah Brown had a game-high 19 points, but struggled from the field, shooting 6-of-22. As a team, the Red Storm shot just 33.9 percent from the field – 29 percent in the first half. St. John's was also 20 percent (3-of-15) from three-point range.
“We were inconsistent from three-point range,” Estep said. “We want them to realize they need to be coached for 40 minutes. We still need to mature in certain moments.”
The Red Storm came out and executed their game plan from the opening tip against Buffalo. St. John's pushed the ball inside to Tynisha Myles and Katrina Johns for easy buckets. When the Bulls collapsed on Myles and Johns, they kicked the ball out to Nora Gyuris, Latasha Thompson or Brown, who hit the open jumpers or drove to the hole for layups.
After Buffalo went ahead, 9-7, on a corner three by Katie Blazewski, the Red Storm scored eight straight points, capped by Thompson's 17-footer, to take its biggest lead of the game, 15-9, with 9:29 left in the first half.
St. John's led 17-12 on a Myles jumper in the lane before Buffalo roared back to outscore the Red Storm 12-2 down the stretch and go into the break ahead, 24-19. For the second time in its last three games, the Red Storm had trouble closing out the first half and, much like in its 65-52 loss to Old Dominion on Dec. 7, it would come back and haunt the Red Storm.
“The last five minutes of the first half completely changed the complexity of the game,” Estep said. “We played some good defense and got some steals in the beginning. But when we got away from things that were working, going inside, attacking the gaps in the zone, that's when we got in trouble.”
Despite attacking the basket well, the Red Storm, ranked No. 17 in the country in free throw percentage, averaging 75.8 percent from the line, did not shoot one free throw in the first half. In the second half, St. John's went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Buffalo scored the first six points of the second half for its largest lead, 30-19, on Mari McClure's baseline jumper with 17:54 left in the second half. The Red Storm scored the next six points, all by Rasheedah Brown, to make it a five-point game, 30-25, with 16:05 left. But the Bulls increased its lead back to 10 and led 41-31 with 11:33 left on a Blazewski putback.
The Red Storm rallied again and cut the Buffalo lead to four, 44-40, on Sherri Brown's right wing three with 8:11 left.
Twice more St. John's got within four, 46-42, on Johns' putback, and 52-49, on Rasheedah Brown's three with 1:00 left.
But the Bulls patiently worked the ball around the perimeter, running down precious seconds from the clock before getting good looks with time winding down on the shot clock.
Buffalo also hit some key free throws, going 3-for-4 in the final 26 seconds to ice the game.
“They're a disciplined team,” Estep said. “That to me is the key to their success. When they started to not do what they were suppose to, they got caught. But they did a good job and capitalized on our mistakes.”
St. John's 61, University of Maryland-Baltimore County 45. Myles recorded her second double-double with 17 points and a career-best 14 boards and Rasheedah Brown added 11 points, six rebounds and three steals for the Red Storm. St. John's is off for the holidays and returns to action Dec. 28 and 29 when the team travels to Hanover, N.H. for the Restaurant Group Classic at Dartmouth College. St. John's will face the University of Rhode Island on Dec. 28, at 6 p.m. and Dartmouth on Dec. 29, at 8 p.m.
