Although the Big Green was able to clamp down defensively early in the contest, the Red Storm pulled away with its hot shooting and costly turnovers committed by Dartmouth. Aiding St. John's was its bench, as the Red Storm got 22 points from its reserves, while Dartmouth was only able to get three points from its bench.
Dartmouth now drops to 0-4 on the season, while the Red Storm, which received votes for the Associated Press Top 25 after downing then 24th-ranked North Carolina State earlier in the year, will improve to 3-1 and hopes to crack into the Top 25.
Early in the contest, the Big Green played stout defense and hung tough with the Red Storm. With just under 14 minutes to play in the half, the sides were knotted in a 6-6 tie. Dartmouth effectively locked up defensively on the Red Storm's all-conference guard Kia Wright, and she was unable to create opportunities for herself or her team early on.
Co-captain Sydney Scott '08 spoke to the team's solid defense, but explained that Dartmouth has not taken advantage of stops with scores of its own.
"We are a very young team still trying to find our identity and find an offensive flow," Scott said. "Our defense is keeping us competitive but until we can put the ball in the basket and run a fluid motion, it is going to be tough for us."
The Red Storm opened up the floodgates on the scoring when guard Kelly McManmon caught fire from behind the arc, dropping back-to-back three-pointers and sparking the St. John's offense to a 12-0 run. The Red Storm's offensive run was helped by the Big Green's difficulty with maintaining possessions, as Dartmouth committed six turnovers during this span.
McManmon commented on her career night in a post-game news conference.
"It just comes down to focusing and knowing I have to knock them down and be ready to shoot," McManmon said. "We're constantly running plays, looking for whatever is open and trying to get the best option. We have great post players that open it up for me, and when I can get a shot on the outside, I try to open it up for them."
The Red Storm would outscore Dartmouth 15-9 through the rest of the half, and headed into the locker room with a 33-15 advantage.
In the second half, things did not improve for the Big Green as the Red Storm continued to shoot at a high percentage while Dartmouth struggled holding onto possessions. St. John's shot 50 percent for the half, scoring largely on shots from close range.
While Dartmouth got to the charity stripe frequently against a foul-happy Red Storm squad, the Big Green could not take advantage of the free throws. The team was seven for 18 from the foul line.
The Red Storm dominated the paint, both in scoring and on the boards. St. John's outscored Dartmouth 34-10 in the paint and out-rebounded the Big Green 51-30, which is surprising given that the Big Green has held its own in the interior this season. All but one player for the Red Storm pulled down a rebound.
In the game, McManmon notched a career-high 16 points, all of which came in the first half, to lead all scorers. For the Big Green, Brittney Smith '11 was the bright spot on the day; the rookie scored a career-high 11 points in only her fourth game in Dartmouth's motion offense.
The Big Green returns to action at Leede Arena on Thursday, Nov. 29, to host Northeastern. The Huskies are 2-2 on the season, and are coming off of a loss to intra-city rival Boston University in a 94-84 shootout. Tip-off for the game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
"They are a good team that will be a good test for us, which I'm looking for us to pass," Scott said.
