After a successful undefeated trip to the Cayman Islands, the St. John's basketball team found itself back at Carnesecca Arena to open up Big East play with a matchup against Creighton.
Despite all its positive momentum, St. John’s, who has won six straight games, ended up on the losing side of the contest with a 60-52 loss.
Creighton has given St. John’s trouble over the last several years, now winning six straight against the Red Storm.
Skye Owen, the senior guard averaging 6.2 points per game, was absent from not only the lineup but also the bench.
“I have no comment,” said head coach Joe Tartamella on her status. “It’s a medical situation that’s her own business, that’s where she was. Nothing negative. We will share that stuff when appropriate.”
Creighton (3-4, 1-0 Big East) is known for its three-point shooting, entering the contest averaging nine made threes per game, which is 20th best in the country, but it was a slow start for the Bluejays with only two 3-pointers and making 4-of-13 shots as a team.
The Red Storm (7-2, 0-1 Big East) weren’t shooting much better, going 5-for-13 as a team, leaving the opening quarter with a 14-10 lead.
Brooke Moore set an early precedent with five first-quarter points, coming off her fiery performances in the Cayman Islands, where she scored 45 points between the two contests, and finished the contest with 14 points and 11 rebounds, making it her third double-double in the first nine games.
St. John's slow start continued in the second quarter, scoring just four points through the first six minutes and continuing with their tough start from the field. The Johnnies were failing to do what it has successfully done all season: force turnovers.
The Red Storm escaped the first half with a 27-24 lead after capping off the final four minutes on a 9-2 run.
Both teams remained scoreless for nearly three minutes of the second half until the Bluejays finally found the basket at the 6:30 mark, draining a three to tie the contest. St. John's was playing a sloppy brand of basketball, turning the ball over four times in five minutes to begin the half.
Again, the Johnnies persevered through their struggles, but Creighton’s successful shooting from beyond the arc to start the half helped the Bluejays end the quarter with a 38-36 lead.
With just under three minutes remaining, the Blue Jays jumped out to a seven-point lead thanks to a 3-pointer from Kennedy Townsend.
Townsend, the senior guard, was a huge factor for Creighton pulling away late in the fourth quarter, scoring 10 points while going 4-for-5 in the final quarter from the field. The 5-foot-10 guard was averaging just nine points a game but ended her night leading both sides in scoring with 18 points.
Moore continued a strong scoring performance by scoring four quick points to bring the Red Storm within five but failed to cut the deficit any smaller.
Sloppy and disappointing basketball was the only way to describe the brand of basketball St. John’s displayed on the court.
The Red Storm, for the first time this season, turned the ball over more than their opponent, doing so 12 times compared to just five by Creighton, the fewest turnovers they’d been able to force all season.
Along with a lack of forced turnovers, the Red Storm struggled shooting as a team, going 19-for-48 (39-percent) from the field while also lacking from beyond the arc, making just 2-of-17 attempts (11-percent).
The Red Storm are hoping to avoid a similar start to Big East play as last season after going 10-1 through non-conference play before beginning a four-game losing streak that sent their season into a downward spiral.
St. John’s will look to return to the win column as they return to action on Sunday, December 7 (2:00 p.m. ET, ESPN+) as they host Providence (6-3, 0-1 Big East).