St. John’s women’s basketball team lost to top-ranked UConn, 88-43, on Wednesday night at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Connecticut. The defeat brings St. John’s record to 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the BIG EAST conference.
Junior guard Beautiful Waheed led St. John’s with 14 points, tying her highest total in conference play and reaching double figures for the third straight game. Waheed shot 5-for-9 from the field and matched a season-high with three three-pointers.
Sa’Mya Wyatt contributed nine points on efficient shooting, while Brooke Moore added seven points for St. John’s. Daniela Abies led all players with six rebounds as the Red Storm managed to outrebound UConn, 28-15. This marked only the third time this season that an opponent has won the rebounding battle against UConn.
UConn delivered a strong offensive performance, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field and making 90 percent of their free throws. Sarah Strong led the Huskies with a game-high 24 points along with five assists and six steals.
The Huskies started fast, scoring eight unanswered points before Wyatt got St. John’s on the board. After building a large early lead, UConn maintained control throughout most of the game and held a commanding advantage at halftime.
In the second quarter, St. John’s used an early run to reduce their deficit but could not sustain momentum as UConn pulled away behind Strong’s first-half performance.
During the third quarter, Azzi Fudd and Ashlyn Shade helped extend UConn’s lead by hitting several three-pointers as the Huskies outscored St. John’s again.
In the final period, Waheed and Janeya Grant each made three-pointers for St. John’s while Julie Bahati and Kyla Hayes saw playing time late in the contest.
St. John’s will next play Butler at Carnesecca Arena on Saturday, January 10 during Girl Scout Day in Queens.
