DePaul 71, St. John's 61: Tempo-Free Recap

Megan Podkowa's career-high 29 points lifted DePaul past St. John's. (Photo courtesy of Swish Appeal)

JAMAICA, NY -- Bolstered by a career-high 29 points from Megan Podkowa, DePaul coasted to a 71-61 victory over St. John's at Carnesecca Arena, winning a matchup where the final score was much closer than the game let on to move to 10-5 (2-0 Big East) on the year, dropping the Red Storm to 11-3 (2-1 Big East) in the process. The final numbers are listed below:

Possessions: St. John's 72, DePaul 70

Points per Possession: DePaul 1.01, (71 points in 70 trips) St. John's 0.85 (61 in 72)

Four Factors

eFG%: DePaul .565, St. John's .424

Free Throw Rate: DePaul 24.1, St. John's 17.5

Offensive Rebound%: St. John's 29.4, DePaul 21.9

Turnover Rate: DePaul 29.6, St. John's 23.6

What DePaul did well: The second quarter. Seriously, all of it. After a defensive stalemate in the opening stanza that saw the Blue Demons emerge with a scant 11-8 cushion, Doug Bruno's team exploded out of the blocks with an 11-for-14 (.786) shooting display from the floor. Podkowa, who had 15 points at the intermission, scored 13 of those 15 in the second period as DePaul took a 40-21 lead into the locker room.

What St. John's did well: Make the final margin respectable. After digging a deep hole for themselves by surrendering 50 points to DePaul in the middle quarters, the Red Storm had a bookend effort by holding serve on the defensive end to open the proceedings before winning the final 10-minute segment by a count of 25-10. Of note is the fact that St. John's began the quarter on a 22-5 run, threatening what looked for all the world like a runaway DePaul win that could very well have become the worst home loss for head coach Joe Tartamella since assuming the head coaching position in 2012.

Megan Podkowa: Inside The Numbers

29: Career-high point total

9: Total rebounds

12: Total field goals made

15: Total field goals attempted

5: Total three-point field goals made (6 attempts)

77.8: Podkowa's final offensive efficiency rating

22.9: Player usage (percentage of team possessions)

41: Final effectiveness factor, using the Litton model

1.11: Effectiveness factor per minute

.967: Effective field goal percentage

In the losing effort for St. John's, Aliyyah Handford led the Red Storm with 14 points, while Danaejah Grant battled her way to a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Final Thoughts

DePaul head coach Doug Bruno:

"This game was a microcosm of our season. We've had great games and not-so-great games, and I think you saw that today. In the second and third quarters, we got our offense executing the way we can execute, and Megan was a big part of that."

Bruno on Megan Podkowa:

"She really is an excellent basketball player, she's one of those players that is understated. None of this surprises me. She's taken some major steps to make people notice her, especially her rebounding numbers."

St. John's head coach Joe Tartamella:

"I was very proud of how we finished the game. To win the fourth quarter 25-10, it was a great way to kind of move on. Our energy level in the second and third (quarters) was inefficient. I think we lost a little focus, a little confidence; quite frankly, in the second and third."

Tartamella on DePaul:

"I think they did a great job of opening up the game. DePaul has always been a well-oiled machine offensively, we all know that. When you make a mistake, they make you pay."