Behind a career-high 24 points from Kadaja Bailey, the St. John’s women’s basketball team defeated Temple, 76-67, on Wednesday night at McGonigle Hall.
The Long Beach, N.Y., native eclipsed the 20-point plateau for the second time in her career, knocking down four of her eight attempts from deep. Bailey also went a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. In addition to her scoring prowess, the 6-foot guard pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
Bailey was one of five players to finish in double figures against the Owls, as Unique Drake and Danielle Patterson recorded 12 points apiece while Leilani Correa and Danielle Cosgrove each chipped in 10 on the evening.
This marked the first time since the 2019-20 campaign that five Johnnies have registered 10-plus points in a single contest.
Cosgrove opened up scoring on the night for both teams, draining a shot from beyond-the-arc. The two programs traded blows over the next few minutes with Temple leading, 11-10, at the first media timeout.
Coming out of the huddle, Camree Clegg converted on a pair of free throws before Drake made a major play. The Columbia, S.C., native came up with the steal before finishing at the rim to give the Johnnies the lead, 14-13. The Owls responded, unleashing a 13-2 run over the final 2:43 to take a double-digit edge, 26-16, after 10 minutes of action.
St. John’s (2-1) shifted its momentum in the second stanza, holding Temple (1-2) without a field goal for over two minutes to cut its deficit down to four, 26-22. The Owls managed to build their lead back up to 10, 32-22, with just under six minutes to play in the half.
The Johnnies continued to battle, rattling off an 11-1 run down the stretch to get back within two, 38-40, with 62 second to play in the half. Nine of the Red Storm’s 11 points came by way of the free-throw line.
With 16 seconds left in second quarter, Temple’s Mia Davis converted on an and-one to give the Owls a five-point lead, 43-38, at the break.
Bailey paced the Johnnies at the intermission with 10 points and six rebounds.
Coming out of the locker room, St. John’s continued to chip away at Temple’s lead, making it a one-possession game, 56-53, entering the final frame.
The two programs traded buckets in the early going of the fourth quarter. With the score knotted at 66 and just over four minutes to play, the Johnnies fired off 10-1 run to lock in the victory. Eight of Patterson’s 12 points came in the fourth quarter alone.
St. John’s returns to action on Sunday, welcoming Ivy League foe Yale to Carnesecca Arena for a 1 p.m. meeting.
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