Box Score Irvine, Calif. – St. John's beat UC Irvine 85-63 in the Anteaters' opener at the Bren Center Sunday.
Transfer Mckenzie Piper made her UCI debut and led the squad with 16 points, hitting 6-12 from the floor and 3-4 from the free throw line. Forward Shereen Sutherland added eight points and guards Raelyn Cheung-Sutton and Irene Chavez each recorded seven points with Cheung-Sutton firing six assists. Forward Mokun Fajemisin had a game-high eight rebounds to go with five points. Forward Brittany Glassow totaled six points and Guard Teirra Hicks pitched in five points.
Danaejah Grant posted a game-high 28 points for the Red Storm (1-1), going 10-13 from the floor. Jade Walker had 15 points and Akina Wellere had 11 points off the bench. St. John's shot 56.7 percent (34-60) from the field for the game and out-rebounded UCI, 41-32.
UCI started the scoring with a basket by Shereen Sutherland before the Red Storm scored the next eight straight. With St. John's leading by 11 (28-17), UCI closed out the first period with six unanswered to narrow the margin to 28-23. Both teams shot well in the opening period with the Anteaters hitting 7-12 (58.3%) and the Red Storm knocking down 12-21 (57.1%).
St. John's started the second half on a 12-1 run to open a 40-24 advantage at 5:14. UCI answered with a 7-1 spurt of their own to close within 41-31 (1:33), but the Red Storm scored the next three to take a 44-31 lead into the half.
The Red Storm did not let up in the second half building a 27-point margin twice in the final stanza.
UCI will hit the road for the next four games, starting at Southern Utah Thursday (Nov. 19) and UNLV on Saturday (Nov. 21).
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