Box Score

 
QUEENS, NY—Sophomore Amber Thompson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds as St. John's defeated visiting NJIT, 55-37, Friday evening at Carnesecca Arena.
 
St. John's, which advanced to the 2012 NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season, snaps a two-game skid improving to 6-5 on the season while the Highlanders stand at 6-8 overall.
 
Thompson, a 6-foot-2 forward, finished with a team-high 14 points and game-high 11 rebounds shooting 5-for-9 from the field while senior guard Nadirah McKenith followed with 13 points, six rebounds and a game-high eight assists to go along with three steals for the Red Storm.
 
Shenneika Smith, who came into Friday's contest averaging 23ppg in the last three outings, was held to just eight points while grabbing seven rebounds.  Forward Sandra Udobi pulled down nine rebounds as the Red Storm held a 52-to-28 rebounding advantage over the visitors.
 
The Highlanders were led by senior guard Rayven Johnson, who scored 13 of her game-high 15 points in the second half and shared team-high honors with sophomore center Nicole Maticka with seven rebounds.  
 
Sophomore guard Alyssa Albanese, who came off the bench with a spark Friday, matched her season-high with eight points and set a new career record with five steals.
 
The Red Storm got off to a quick start, 10-2, in the opening seven minutes and later pushed the lead to 15, 19-4, with 6:11 remaining in the first half. 
 
NJIT's Albanese scored the Highlanders first points at the 14:45 mark, as the quick guard drove past her defender and finished a layup.  After a jump shot by sophomore Martina Matejcikova at the 12:32 mark, the Highlanders were held scoreless until sophomore guard Sarah Olson knocked down a three-pointer from the right corner at the 6:02 mark.
 
St. John's went on a short 6-0 run over the span of two minutes taking its largest lead of the first half, 25-7, with 3:20 remaining.  The Highlanders closed out the first 20 minutes on a 6-1 run sparked by a jumper by Johnson and back-to-back layups by Albanese for a 26-13 halftime score.
 
To open the second half, NJIT cut the deficit to 10, 30-20, as the Highlanders senior guard Johnson scored the first seven points for NJIT in the opening 3:30. 
 
St. John's Thompson knocked down a pair of free throws for a 12-point lead, 32-20, but it was a jumper in the paint by Maticka and Johnson which slimmed the Highlander lead to single digits, 32-24, with 16 minutes left to go in the contest.
 
The Red Storm went on a 10-2 run from the 15-minute mark to the 8:48 mark increasing St. John's lead to 16, 42-26, as the home team never looked back as the St. John's closed out its 2012 home schedule with a 55-37 victory over the Highlanders.
 
The Highlanders, which have played its last three games on the road, return back to the Fleisher Athletic Center on Sunday, December 30 at 2pm.  NJIT will play host to Rhode Island.