Jamaica, N.Y.  The St. Johns womens basketball team was defeated by Rutgers University, 62-67, tonight at Alumni Hall. The teams entered halftime tied at 32, but the Scarlet Knights escaped with the victory late in the second half.

The Red Storm opened the game with a 7-0 run, led by freshman Mary Pat Statler (New Cumberland, W.Va.) who hit two three-pointers in the first 2:09 of the game. Rutgers responded with a run of their own, taking the lead by as much as six. Freshman Patrycja Gulak (Olsztyn, Poland) and senior Rasheedah Brown (Newark, N.J.) each hit a jumper and a three to put the Red Storm back on top. SJU would finish the first half by going to the line eight times, and connecting on all eight attempts. St. Johns had the 32-28 lead before Rutgers hit back-to-back layups to tie the game at 32 as the buzzer sounded.

The beginning of the second half would be a back and forth battle between the teams. At the 7:22 mark, Rutgers emerged with a seven-point lead on a basket by Davalyn Cunningham. The Red Storm would answer the Scarlet Knights with another 7-0 run. Statler once again led the run for SJU when she tied the game at 57 with a three at the 3:32 mark. Rutgers hit back-to-back jumpers, but Statler once again pulled SJU to within two with another shot from behind the arc. The Scarlet Knights hit three free throws to seal the win at 67-62.

Statler led the Red Storm with 21 points, of which 15 came from three-point range. Gulak finished with 21 points on seven field goals and nine rebounds. Brown continued her double-figure scoring streak, posting 13 points, dishing out five assists and recording four steals. Sophomore Shemika Stevens (New York, N.Y.) had her double-figure scoring streak snapped, but still played strong. Stevens had five assists, three steals and four rebounds. Senior Kenyawna Hudgens (Washington, D.C.) once again led the Red Storms defensive attack, holding Rutgers top scorer to just two field goals.

Rutgers had three players record 12 points. Cunningham led the Scarlet Knights with 12 points and eight rebounds.

Rutgers hit 26 field goals and shot 50.0 from the field, so it was the Red Storms strong free throw shooting that kept them the game. The connected on 17-of-17 from the free throw line, setting a new school record for free throw percentage. SJU has been strong from the line all season, currently leading the BIG EAST in free throw percentage and ranked 16th nationally.

The Red Storm return to action on Saturday, February 2 at 2:00 pm when they host West Virginia.