With a 0-6 record in the BIG EAST and a 5-12 overall record, the Red Storm women’s basketball team is looking to find that missing piece to its puzzle. Injuries, lack of height, and the absence of players scoring in double figures could be a reason why the Red Storm has not been able to pick up a conference win.

Tuesday night, the Red Storm fell to Rutgers, 77-43. With its latest loss the team is currently on a seven game losing streak. “This was a game that I thought if you took away the score it was a great team effort,” said Head Coach Darcel Estep. Rasheedah Brown had another strong offensive game scoring 12 points.

Brown has scored in double figures in the past 17 games and has had 20 plus points in her games against Syracuse and Hampton.

Over the past weekend, the Syracuse Orangewomen defeated the Red Storm 66-54, and lost 73-65 to Hampton on Wednesday, January 17.

Many different factors have led to the Red Storm’s slow start. A big blow came when junior guard Giani Bowles was injured in last season’s Big East Tournament. Though she recovered from that imjury recently she suffered a stress fracture to her shin, which has sidelined her for the next week or.

Before the fracture Bowles had seen limited playing time off the bench while recovering from the ACL injury. If and when Bowles fully recovers she will be able to contribute her three point field goals in which she led the team in last season with 42 made.

Estep definitely sees that Bowles is a contributor and accepts the fact that she is not fully up to par. “Verses West Virginia, Giani had a great showing, scoring 21 points,” she said. ” But we are definitely missing what she can contribute.”

The lack of height is still a major contributor to the Red Storm’s demise too. With the tallest player standing at 6-4 (Tynisha Myles) the Red Storm depends mainly on its outside game. Estep also stresses that fact. ” We are lacking an inside game,” she said. “But we do have a strong perimeter.”

One player who has stepped up during these hard times is junior guard Rasheedah Brown. ” Brown has done a tremendous job,” Estep said. ” She has pushed to the two position and has been a major factor.”

The Red Storm has talent especially in freshman Shameeka Stevens who was New York Player of the Year in 2000. But unfortunately for the Red Storm she has to wait till next season to show off her skills because is an academic red shirt. Senior Katrina Johns has also been a great factor this season; she was the only other player in the game verses Syracuse to score in double figures along with Brown.

The Red Storm will not let its record affect its outlook towards the rest of its season. St. John’s will look to right the ship on Saturday, Jan. 27 against Pittsburgh at Alumni Hall at 2 p.m.