St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Travels To Army For Sunday Matchup
11/20/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2005
GAME 2
ST. JOHN'S (1-0) at ARMY (1-0)
SUNDAY, NOV. 20, 2005 • 1:00 P.M.
WEST POINT, N.Y. • CHRISTL ARENA (5,043)
The St. John's women's basketball team hits the road for a non-conference game against in-state opponent Army Sunday at 1 p.m. The Red Storm is coming off a 64-53 season-opening victory over Boston University on Friday night, and looks to remain unbeaten on the young season.
Noting the Red Storm
• Balanced scoring and dominant post play led St. John's to its season-opening victory over the Boston University Terriers Friday night, as Kia Wright scored a game-high 17 points and forwards Danielle Chambers (12 points, career-high 17 rebounds) and Angela Clark (11 points, 10 rebounds) each had a double-double.
• Wright, a preseason All-BIG EAST selection, shot 7-for-15 from the field and hit the Red Storm's lone 3-pointer of the night. The junior guard also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out four assists and had two steals.
• The fourth Red Storm player in double figures vs. the Terriers was rookie Monique McLean, who played 16 minutes in her St. John's debut. She finished with 10 points, six rebounds a block.
• Sophomores Tiina Sten and Andrea Peterson also played key minutes for St. John's, as Sten had six points and three rebounds and Peterson tallied four points, two rebounds and three assists.
• For head coach Kim Barnes Arico, it was her third consecutive season-opening victory. The Red Storm mentor now has a 3-1 all-time record in St. John's season-openers. The program, meanwhile, improved to 23-9 in all-time home openers.
• Prior to Friday night's tip-off, Athletics Director Chris Monasch and university trustees and benefactors Donald and Eleanor Taffner presented Coach Barnes Arico with a replica of the WNIT banner that now hangs in Carnesecca Arena in recognition of her 2004-05 squad's postseason appearance.
• St. John's and Army have not met since the 1982-83 season, when St. John's won a Feb. 2 game in West Point, 63-49, to extend its lead in the series to 5-3.
• The Red Storm's early season road schedule continues following Sunday's game, as St. John's will play a pre-Thanksgiving contest Wednesday, Nov. 23, at Monmouth. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
SCOUTING ARMY
• Army (1-0) opened its 2005-06 campaign with a 103-51 victory over Coast Guard Friday night in Christl Arena. Sophomore Cara Enright led four Black Knights in double figures with 14 points as head coach Maggie Dixon earned her first victory at Army.
• The Black Knights were tabbed to finish third in the Patriot League preseason poll, while Enright was named to the preseason all-conference team. Enright, the 2005 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, leads a corps of returners that also includes Jen Hansen and Micky Mallette.
• St. John's leads the all-time series with Army, 5-3, but the teams have not met since Feb. 2, 1983. That game was a 63-49 St. John's victory. The last win for Army came on Feb. 27, 1981, a 69-66 overtime victory.
• Army head coach Maggie Dixon (San Diego '99) is in her first season. She served as an assistant coach at DePaul for five seasons prior to being named the Black Knights' coach on Oct. 5, 2005. Her brother, Jamie, is the men's basketball coach at BIG EAST school Pittsburgh.
UP NEXT
• St. John's continues its early season road swing with a road game at Monmouth on Wednesday, Nov. 23, at 7 p.m.
• Following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Red Storm returns to Carnesecca Arena for a Nov. 30 matchup with Niagara.
PRESEASON NOTEBOOK
St. John's To Host Two Home Games At Madison Square Garden For First Time
• For the first time in school history, the Red Storm women's basketball team will host two regular-season BIG EAST games at Madison Square Garden. St. John's can be seen at the World's Most Famous Arena on Jan. 21 against Villanova and on Jan. 29 against West Virginia.
Storm Picked To Finish Eighth In New-Look BIG EAST
• St. John's was picked to finish eighth in the new-look, expanded BIG EAST as the league held its annual BIG EAST Women's Basketball Media Day on Oct. 27.
• Rutgers was chosen the preseason favorite, followed by Connecticut and Notre Dame. DePaul and Villanova rounded out the top five.
BIGGER Is Better
• This season, the BIG EAST Conference expanded to 16 teams for women's basketball, making it the largest conference in the nation. New for 2005-06 are Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida. Twelve teams will qualify for the BIG EAST Championships, held March 4-7 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, Conn.
Wright Named To The Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
• Junior guard Kia Wright was named to the preseason all-conference team, the league announced on Oct. 27. The Copiague, N.Y., native returns after a breakout first year in a Red Storm jersey. One of the most dynamic guards in the league, Wright was a second team All-BIG EAST selection a season ago and led the Red Storm in scoring with 14.8 points per game while adding 4.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Taffner Field House, New Home Of St. John's Basketball
• St. John's University opened the doors of Taffner Field House in September 2005. At approximately 43,000 square feet, the $16 million Taffner Field House includes four full size basketball courts and dedicated locker rooms for both student recreation and men's and women's basketball. It contains new offices and meeting rooms for the men's and women's basketball staffs, as well as weight training and medical training rooms. The facility also houses office and meeting space for Recreation and Intramural Sports.
EMAIL STRAIGHT TO YOU
• If you would like the latest St. John's women's basketball news emailed to you directly as soon as it breaks, email women's basketball contact Amy Mulligan at mulligaa@stjohns.edu with "Basketball Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed on the team.
