By Dylan Butler
“Stats don't lie and the tough thing is that it is the things we have the capability of controlling,” Estep said. “That's the most frustrating part. We have the tools, it's just a matter of controlling the things we can control.”
But it was Miami (9-5, 2-2) who was in control. The Hurricanes dominated the boards, especially the offensive glass. Miami outrebounded the Red Storm 45-36 and had 15 offensive rebounds. Several times in the second half, St. John's (5-9, 0-4) gave Miami second, third and fourth chances that usually led to a putback or a Red Storm foul. The Hurricanes took 21 more free throws than St. John's, outscoring the Red Storm 23-7.
“It's a presence of mind, you have to box out,” Estep said. “They got the offensive rebounds and got to the foul line. It's just mind boggling.”
No one looked more determined to win than Miami's Dalia Clark. The 5-foot-11 senior guard scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. She was 7-for-9 from the field and got to the line 12 times, making six free throws. Along with Tasha Pointer from Rutgers, Clark was named co-Big East Player of the Week.
“We went into the locker room and said we wanted to step it up in the second half,” Clark said. “We played really hard.”
With Tynisha Myles out for a second straight game with a sprained ankle, Miami freshman center Chanivia Broussard did a great job in the paint, netting 20 points and grabbing six rebounds to earn Big East Rookie of the Week honors.
The two teams played nip and tuck through most of the first half. On a baseline 10-footer by Rasheedah Brown, the Red Storm led 17-15 with 10:09 left in the half. But that was their last lead of the game, as Miami took over and scored six of the final seven points of the first half to take a 31-26 lead into the break.
After shooting just 37.5 percent from the line in the first half, the Red Storm wasn't much better in the second half, shooting 4-for-10. A Brown three-pointer from the left wing cut Miami's lead to four, 35-31, less than three minutes into the second half, but that was as close as St. John's would get.
The Hurricanes extended their lead to 10, 31-21, moments later on Broussard's six-foot jumper. Miami maintained at least an eight-point cushion over the next 14 minutes. Clark closed out the Storm, scoring seven of the 'Canes final 10 points in the final 2:43.
“It was very frustrating,” said Red Storm senior guard Latasha Thompson, who had nine points. “We just have to dig within and come out and play more aggressive. We have to want it like they did today.”
Katrina Johns led St. John's with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Things don't get much easier for the Red Storm, as they take to the road for three straight games. After a non-conference game at Hampton scheduled for Wednesday night, the Red Storm will search for their first Big East win at Syracuse (7-6, 1-2) Saturday afternoon before taking on No. 11 Rutgers (10-4, 3-1) Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
