NEW YORK – Aliyyah Handford scored 25 points and Amber Thompson pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds to lead No. 24 St. John's to a 69-56 win over Villanova on Saturday.
Danaejah Grant came off the bench to add 14 points and nine rebounds for the Red Storm (19-5, 12-1 Big East) with Eugeneia McPherson scoring 12.
Katherine Coyer had a career-high 18 points for the Wildcats (19-6, 9-5), who had their six-game winning streak snapped. Devon Kane added 12 points and Caroline Coyer 10.
After a rugged first half with both teams shooting less than 30 percent, things heated up. Villanova shot 50 percent and St. John's 52 percent. The difference was the Red Storm owning the boards 54-31. That included a 20-7 margin on the offensive end, allowing St. John's a 22-8 advantage in second-chance points and 32-26 on points in the paint.
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