Graduate student Danielle Patterson posted her third-straight double-double, pulling down a career-high 17 rebounds for the Red Storm on Saturday afternoon at Carnesecca Arena, leading the Johnnies to an 83-70 win over La Salle.
For the second-straight game and the fourth time this season, St. John’s eclipsed the 80-point plateau. With its win over the Explorers, the Red Storm (5-4, 1-0 BIG EAST) remains undefeated in Queens with a perfect record of 4-0.
With a game-high 17 rebounds, Patterson is just the 10th Johnnie in program history to record at least 17 boards in a single game and the first to do so since 2018. The Brooklyn native also netted 14 points en route to the Red Storm’s victory.
For the fifth time this season, Leilani Correa led the way for St. John’s offensively. The Manchester, N.J., native, who ranked third in the league in scoring entering Saturday’s contest, finished with 25 points. Correa converted on eight of her 16 attempts from the floor, knocking down 5-of-8 from beyond the arc. The junior guard also went a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe. In addition to her scoring prowess, Correa also pulled down seven rebounds to go along with two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Two other Johnnies finished in double figures for the Red Storm on Saturday, as Kadaja Bailey recorded 14 points while Unique Drake chipped in 10. Drake also dished out a team-high six assists on the afternoon.
The Red Storm and the Explorers (6-4) traded buckets in the early going of the contest, with La Salle leading, 11-10, at the first media timeout. Coming out of the huddle, St. John’s fired off an 8-2 run to take a five-point lead, 18-13, after 10 minutes of action.
The Red Storm squad continued to grow its lead in the early minutes of the second stanza. The home team rattled off a 12-3 run to expand its advantage to 14, 30-16, at the under six mark.
The Explorers responded with nine unanswered points to get back within five, 30-25, with 2:36 remaining in the half. That was as close as the visiting team would get, as the backcourt trio of Bailey, Correa and Drake pieced together a 9-3 run to take a double-digit lead, 39-28, into the intermission.
At the break, Drake led the way offensively with 10 points on a 5-of-8 shooting from the floor. Patterson chipped in nine points to go along with a team-best nine boards after the first 20 minutes of action.
La Salle began to chip away at the Red Storm’s lead in the third period, cutting its deficit down to three, with four minutes remaining in the quarter. The Johnnies would not let the Explorers get any closer down the stretch, as the home team held a six-point lead, 58-52, following 30 minutes of action.
Over the first few minutes of the final frame, the Explorers managed to make it a one possession game. The Explorers would not get any closer, as the Johnnies put any chance of a La Salle comeback to bed. St. John’s out shot La Salle, 17-6, over the final four minutes to lock in the victory. The Red Storm’s late run started and ended with major three-point shots from Camree Clegg and Correa.
The Johnnies will have quick turnaround, as the squad returns to action tomorrow with a trip to Staten Island for a 2 p.m. meeting with Wagner.
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