St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Women's Basketball Announces 2005-06 Schedule
9/13/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 13, 2005
Queens, NY - The St. John's University women's basketball team will play a pair of home contests at Madison Square Garden and face 10 opponents that advanced to last year's postseason during its 2005-06 season, the university announced Tuesday.
"The opportunity for us to play two games at Madison Square Garden is very exciting and I know it is something our players are really looking forward to," Red Storm head coach Kim Barnes Arico said. "Our non-league and league schedule has gotten tougher. The BIG EAST is going to be tremendous with the addition of five new teams."
Barnes Arico is entering her fourth season at the helm of the program and last year led the team to an impressive 20-11 mark and second round appearances in the WNIT Postseason Tournament and BIG EAST Tournament.
The Red Storm return eight letterwinners and six players who averaged at least 20 minutes from last year's squad - including leading scorers Kia Wright (14.8 ppg) and Angela Clark (11.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg).
The 2005-06 campaign gets underway on Nov. 18, when the Red Storm hosts Boston University at Carnesecca Arena following a Nov. 10 exhibition game against Team Concept. Away non-conference tilts against at Army (Nov. 20) and Monmouth (Nov. 23) and home matchups with Niagara (Nov. 27) and Fairleigh Dickinson (Nov. 30) follow before the Red Storm head to Chicago, IL, for the Roger and Mildred White Invitational on the campus of Northwestern.
While in the Windy City, the Red Storm will face Wake Forest, which advanced to the third round of last year's WNIT, and either host Northwestern or Miami University (Ohio).
The BIG EAST season gets underway on Dec. 6, when St. John's travels to Milwaukee to take on league newcomer Marquette.
The Red Storm then get a break from conference action by traveling to Hofstra and hosting Stony Brook before heading to San Diego, CA, for the Surf `N Slam Holiday Classic on Dec. 28 and 30.
While in California, the Red Storm will face ACC power Duke, which advanced to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament a season ago, and either the University of San Diego or Montanta State.
"Our tournaments at Northwestern and San Diego are very exciting. We have the opportunity to play some great teams," Barnes Arico said.
When Barnes Arico's squad returns to Queens in January, it will begin the heart of its BIG EAST schedule, starting with a home game vs. Notre Dame on Jan. 4.
Following conference games at Georgetown (Jan. 7), vs. Pittsburgh (Jan. 11), at 2005 BIG EAST Tournament champion Connecticut (Jan. 14) and at BIG EAST newcomer Cincinnati (Jan. 18), the Red Storm return home to New York for a game in Madison Square Garden against Villanova on Jan. 21.
"In years past, there have been many marquee women's basketball games at Madison Square Garden," Barnes Arico said. "For St. John's basketball, to have the opportunity to play not just one game, but two games there says a lot about our program and the university's commitment to our program. It's great for our kids to have a chance to play on the same floor as some of the all-time greatest players in our sport."
The Red Storm can again be seen at the Garden on Jan. 29 when it hosts West Virginia, the 2005 WNIT runner-up and the team that ended St. John's postseason run a season ago.
The Red Storm will get its first look at last year's BIG EAST regular-season champion, Rutgers, on Feb. 1 in Piscataway, NJ. Three home games follow against South Florida (Feb. 4), Marquette (Feb. 8) and Louisville (Feb. 15) before the Storm wraps up its road slate with a game at DePaul (Feb. 18) and Syracuse (Feb. 25).
The regular-season finale will be Feb. 28 at Carnesecca Arena, when St. John's hosts Seton Hall. The 2005 BIG EAST Tournament will be held March 5-8 at the Hartford Civic Center in Hartford, CT.
For ticket information, schedules, scores and highlights to all St. John's home games visit us on the internet at www.redstormsports.com. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the St. John's Ticket Office at (718) 990-6081.
All game times and radio/television broadcast information will be announced at a later date.
