UConn Dominates St. John's for 88-28 Victory in BIG EAST Season Opener

Box Score

STORRS, CT (Dec. 4, 2001) -- In its first BIG EAST contest of the season, the No. 1 University of Connecticut women’s basketball team dominated St. John’s, posting a 88-28 victory for its eighth win of the season. UConn ran out of the gate to a 44-9 halftime lead from which the Red Storm could never recover.

UConn opened the game with a 12-0 run before a three-pointer by Rasheedah Brown put St. John’s on the board with 15:55 left in the half. The nine-point deficit would be as close as the Red Storm would get to the Huskies for the remainder of the game, as UConn closed the first half on a 32-6 run.

Senior Tamika Williams (Dayton, OH) led the Huskies with 10 points at the half on 5-for-5 shooting from the field. Brown posted eight of St. John’s nine points in the first half.

After a free throw by senior Swin Cash (McKeesport, PA) opened the second half, Mary Pat Statler swished a three-pointer to narrow the margin to 33, the lowest of the half. UConn responded with a 22-0 run to spread the margin to 55 points. The Huskies would open their largest lead at 83-16 with 4:07 left in the game.

All eleven players on the UConn roster scored in the contest. Sophomore Diana Taurasi (Chino, CA) led UConn with 15 points. Williams finished a perfect 6-for-6 from the field with 12 points and eight rebounds. Senior Asjha Jones (Piscataway, NJ) rounded out the Huskies in double figures with 11 points.

In a balanced effort, Cash posted a team-high nine rebounds and senior Sue Bird (Syosset, NY) notched nine assists.

Brown had 11 points for the Red Storm.

UConn held St. John’s to a 23.4 shooting percentage from the field, including a 15.0% mark in the first half. The Red Storm also coughed up 24 turnovers while Connecticut registered 14 steals in the contest.

The Red Storm fall to 2-6 this season.

UConn returns to action this Thursday, Dec. 6, in a 7:30 p.m. contest against Holy Cross. The game is the second of the season for the Huskies at the Hartford Civic Center.