St. John's picks up third straight win with strong defensive effort over Marist

Aliyyah Handford's 19 points and eight rebounds led St. John's over Marist, as Red Storm picked up third straight win with Sunday's 61-47 victory. (Photo courtesy of the New York Post)

JAMAICA, NY -- At the start of the season, Joe Tartamella emphasized that it would take a group effort for St. John's to return to the NCAA Tournament after missing the field of 64 last season.

Even though it is still only November, the first four games of the season seem to indicate the Red Storm may be well on their way.

Riding a suffocating defense that held Marist to just 31 percent shooting for the game, St. John's (3-1) took advantage of their success on that end of the ball en route to a 61-47 victory over the Red Foxes (0-4) in their home opener, the third straight victory for the Red Storm following a season-opening loss at UCLA.

"When you're struggling on the offensive end," said Danaejah Grant, who recorded 17 points and eight rebounds, "obviously you want your defense to fuel you, and I believe that's what we did."

"I thought we grinded it out today," Tartamella added, referencing his team's struggles from the field, especially in the second half. "We showed we can still find a way to win when the ball isn't going into the basket."

St. John's, who was led by Aliyyah Handford's 19 points and eight rebounds, was able to win despite making just one three-pointer on the evening Sunday, making their hay in transition, where they scored 21 points off 18 Marist turnovers.

Besides Handford and Grant, Jade Walker poured in 13 points and seven boards to give the Red Storm three players in double figures once again, a feat they have accomplished in every contest to date on the young season. Three players on the Marist side amassed 10 or more points as well, led by Sydney Coffey with 16 while Tori Jarosz battled her way to a 12-point, 13-rebound double-double.

"We ran into a very, very good basketball team," Marist head coach Brian Giorgis lamented as his program, winners of ten Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championships in the past twelve years, had one of its more difficult nights shooting the ball in recent memory. "We couldn't emulate their speed and quickness, and that caused our kids to rush things and rush decisions."

Marist heads to Florida to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase this weekend, while St. John's continues a three-game homestand Sunday afternoon, welcoming South Florida to Carnesecca Arena in a 2 p.m. tipoff.