Big Second Half Sends St. John's Past Dartmouth

Tuesday, November 18

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

St. John's

Women's Hoops Hosts Holy Cross in Final Home Game until February

Big Second Half Sends St. John's Past Dartmouth

11/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H. ? After a close, back-and-forth first half, St. John's opened things up in the second to storm to a 74-39 victory over the Dartmouth women's basketball team tonight at Leede Arena.

Dartmouth (0-2) trailed the Big East visitors just 29-23 after a solid first-half in which both teams shot nearly 40 percent from the floor. Things turned downhill quickly for the Big Green in the second, with St. John's (2-0) full-court press causing turnovers and a three-point barrage sparked by Kelly McManmon inflating the lead. The Red Storm closed the game on a 16-3 run in the last seven minutes to take the final, 74-39.

Sophomore forward Brittney Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) was just shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds while Betsy Williams (Norwich, Vt.) added eight points. Senior guard Koren Schram (Batesville, Ark.) had a tough shooting night and scored just six but added nine rebounds, four steals and three assists to her statline. Monique McClean and McManmon poured in 23 and 19 points, respectively, for St. John's.

It took three minutes for either team to score but St. John's stuck first at 17:10 when McClean converted a conventional three-point play to go up 3-0. Dartmouth kept pace and pulled within 7-5 when Williams scored an and-one herself at 13:52. The Red Storm picked up the pace and went on a 9-2 run to take a 16-7 lead at 11:42, but the Big Green kept its cool and answered with a 9-3 run of its own, capped by a Smith jumper to pull within three, down 19-16 at 7:34.

The teams traded buckets for much of the half, with long stretches between scores as both squads buckled down on defense. The Red Storm had a late run to go up nine points near the end of the half but Dartmouth sophomore Cassie Cooper (Chelsea, Maine) nailed a three just before the half to make it 29-23, St. John's.

Almost everything was even in the first half as the Big Green shot 39.1 percent from the floor while the Red Storm was just behind at 38.7 percent. Dartmouth also held a slight, 18-17 advantage on the boards.

The Big Green came out and scored the first three points of the second half to pull within three of the Red Storm, down just 29-26 at 17:56. It seemed Dartmouth was ready to give St. John's a fight until a Da'Shena Stevens free-throw at 16:23 started a deflating 12-0 run for the Red Storm. St. John's press forced Dartmouth into three-straight turnovers while McManmon got a hot hand from downtown and her team soon led 41-26 just two minutes later at 14:16.

Brittney and Margaret Smith (Fort Worth, Texas) each scored to give the Big Green a shot in the arm, pulling within 12, down 42-30 at 12:28 but St. John's had other ideas. During the next five minutes, the Red Storm went on a 16-4 run that saw its lead swell to 58-34 before Williams stopped the bleeding at 7:24 with a jumper in the paint. That would be the Big Green's last field goal of the game, scoring just three more points on six free-throw attempts while St. John's piled on for the 74-39 final.

Dartmouth shot a woeful 18.2 percent in the second half while St. John's heated up to shoot 46.9 percent. The Big Green shot just 7-14 from the free-throw line while the Red Storm converted 14-17. It marked just the fourth time in the last year that Dartmouth has taken fewer free-throws than its opponent.

The Big Green's challenging non-league slate continues this weekend when it heads north to Burlington for the TD Banknorth Classic at Vermont. Dartmouth's first round opponent is Michigan State, who is the first team just outside the AP Top-25. The Big Green takes on the Spartans at 3:00 this Saturday, Nov. 22 and then plays either Quinnipiac or Vermont, both 20+ win teams last season.