St. John's University Athletics
Women's Basketball Meets West Virginia Sunday At The Garden
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
GAME 20
ST. JOHN'S (16-3, 6-2) vs. WEST VIRGINIA (11-6, 3-3)
SUNDAY, JAN. 29, 2006 • NOON
MADISON SQUARE GARDEN (19,786) • NEW YORK, N.Y.
St. John's, currently receiving votes in both national polls, will look for its fourth-straight BIG EAST victory when it takes on West Virginia on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Halfway through the conference slate with a 6-2 record (16-3 overall), the surging Red Storm is off to its best start in league play in 15 seasons and best overall start in over 20 years. Tip off from the World's Most Famous Arena is set for Noon, and the game will air on the Madison Square Garden Network with Amy Lawrence and Rebecca Lobo calling the action.
Noting the Red Storm
• Sunday's game against West Virginia will be the third game for the St. John's women's basketball team in Madison Square Garden. The first, a Feb. 29, 2004, contest against Seton Hall, resulted in a 61-52 Red Storm victory. St. John's improved to 2-0 at MSG with a 65-55 victory over Villanova on Jan. 21, 2006.
• Following that win over the Wildcats, St. John's got a mid-week victory at Providence Wednesday when it defeated the Friars, 72-50, at Alumni Hall. Fourth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico has her team off to the best start in conference action since the 1990-91 season, when it also raced out to a 6-2 start. Overall, the 16-3 start is the program's best since 1982-83, when that team went 17-2 in its first 19 games en route to the BIG EAST Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance.
• Overall, St. John's has a 16-3 record and two of three losses have come at the hands of opponents ranked in the nation's Top 10 (then-No. 2/2 Duke on Dec. 28 and then-No. 7/7 Connecticut on Jan. 14).
• St. John's has won seven of its last eight games, with its only setback during that span a hard fought loss at seventh-ranked UConn.
• St. John's is currently receiving a season high 47 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and is three places out of being nationally ranked. In the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Top 25, the Storm is receiving 10 votes.
• The last time a St. John's women's basketball team was ranked in the nation's Top 25 was 1983-84.
• With the Jan. 21 win over Villanova at MSG which counted as a home contest for the Red Storm, St. John's improved to 7-0 at home this season (6-0 at Carnesecca Arena; 1-0 at The Garden). The last time the Red Storm opened the home schedule with seven-straight wins was in 1977-78.
• Angela Clark continues to lead St. John's in scoring with 15.0 points per game and matched a career-high with 23 points in Wednesday's win over Providence. The junior forward notched her eighth double-double of the season against Georgetown (Jan. 7) and has scored in double figures in 16 of the Red Storm's first 19 games. In BIG EAST games, Clark is averaging 16.0 points and 7.8 rebounds. For her efforts, she has been named to the conference's weekly honor roll twice. Next on her list of accomplishments could be a 1,000-point career, as she is just 11 points away from reaching the milestone.
• The junior duo of Clark and former Copiague High School teammate Kia Wright continues to provide a one-two punch on the inside and outside for St. John's. Wright is the other player who averages in double figures, as she is right behind Clark with 13.0 points per game and recently had an outburst of 21 points against Villanova on Jan. 21. For her performance against the Wildcats and on Jan. 18 at Cincinnati, Wright was named to the BIG EAST's Weekly Honor Roll. The point guard has scored at least 10 points in 16 of the Red Storm's 19 games this year, and was a preseason All-BIG EAST selection.
• Senior Danielle Chambers is making her case for the title of one of the most improved players in the league, as the forward is close to averaging a double-double with 9.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. Relentless on the boards and a great finisher around the rim, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Roger and Mildred White Invitational (Dec. 2-3) and is second on the team in minutes played (30.5 per game).
• Senior guard Tara Walker has stepped up her game during the conference slate, including an offensive outburst of 20 points in the Red Storm's victory over Cincinnati (Jan. 18). She also performed well at The Garden against Villanova (Jan. 21), netting seven points and grabbing three rebounds. In conference-only games, Walker is averaging 9.4 points per game and is shooting better than 38 percent from behind the 3-point line.
• St. John's trails the all-time series with West Virginia, 12-3, and the Mountaineers have won six-straight contests in the series. The last St. John's victory came on Feb. 10, 2001, a 66-41 decision in Queens.
• Following Sunday's game, the Red Storm heads to Rutgers for a Wednesday night game.
QUOTING KBA
• Head Coach Kim Barnes Arico's Pre-Game Quotes:
On returning to Madison Square Garden for a second time this season:
"It's unbelievable. We were coming home from Providence and we were watching Miracle on the TV on the bus and their big game was at The Garden. They play the Russians at The Garden before the Olympics. And I'm thinking to myself, every great movie has The Garden in it. The opportunity for our kids to play there is awesome."
On the depth of her team:
"I think that's actually been the difference for us. There is no one on our team that needs to play 35 minutes a night for us to be successful. Looking at our statistics in the BIG EAST, we don't have anyone in the top 10 in minutes played, so I think that says a lot about our team."
On the matchup with West Virginia
"We have to try to contain Meg Bulger. I also think it's important for us to try to run the floor try to get some easy baskets and try to take advantage of our strengths. I think it's hard for some teams to defend us because we have a lot of different scoring options."
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
• Owner of a 16-3 record and a three-game win streak, the Red Storm is receiving 47 votes in the most recent Associated Press Top 25 poll and 10 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. The last time St. John's was ranked in either national poll was during the 1983-84 season.
• After getting off to a 7-0 start to the 2005-06 season, the St. John's women's basketball team received votes in the Dec. 6 Associated Press national women's basketball poll. After moving its non-conference win streak to 20 games with victories over Wake Forest (Dec. 2) and Northwestern (Dec. 3), St. John's suffered a loss at Marquette (Dec. 6). After bouncing back with victories over Hofstra (Dec. 11) and Stony Brook (Dec. 17), the Red Storm again garnered votes in the Dec. 26 AP Poll.
• It is the second year in a row that the Red Storm has received votes in a national poll, as St. John's garnered votes last season after beginning the year with an 11-0 record.
BIG STAGE; BIG WIN
• St. John's improved to 2-0 all-time at Madison Square Garden with its Jan. 21 victory over Villanova.
• The Red Storm snapped a seven-game losing streak in the series with the Wildcats and gave head coach Kim Barnes Arico her first-career win over Villanova.
100 GAMES LATER
• Fourth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico coached her 100th game with the Red Storm on Jan. 7 against Georgetown. With the 74-54 victory, she evened her overall record at St. John's to 50-50.
• Her record is now 54-51 at St. John's, 148-123 overall.
CLARK EYES 1,000
• Angela Clark is on pace to score her 1,000th-career point this season. The junior has amassed 989 points in less than three seasons and needs 11 for the milestone.
• If she reaches the plateau, she will be the 14th player in St. John's women's basketball history to do so.
FIRST SEVEN DAYS OF 2006 - A WEEK OF FIRSTS
• St. John's opened the new year with a bang, earning two BIG EAST wins during the first seven days of January.
• When St. John's upended 12th-ranked Notre Dame on Jan. 4 in Carnesecca Arena, it was not only the first win over the Irish for head coach Kim Barnes Arico, but also for the St. John's program. After losing the first 15 meetings between the schools, the Red Storm came away with a 66-63 upset to remain unbeaten at home.
• The game also marked the first time in the history of the series that St. John's scored more than 65 points and Notre Dame scored less than 65.
• It was St. John's first win over a ranked opponent this season, and the first in Carnesecca Arena since Coach Barnes Arico took over the program in 2002.
• In its very next game, the Red Storm snapped another streak as it defeated Georgetown on Jan. 7, 74-54, for the first time in 10 tries. It was also Barnes Arico's first-career victory over the Hoyas.
BALANCED ATTACK
• In 10 of the Red Storm's 19 games this year, at least four players have reached double figures.
• Six different players have been a game's high scorer (Greeba Barlow, Chambers, Clark, Monique McLean, Tara Walker and Wright).
SEEING DOUBLE
• Junior Angela Clark has had early success posting double-doubles. Her total of eight is currently a team-best and the second-best total in the BIG EAST. For her three-year career, Clark has notched 27 double-doubles. The 6-1 playmaker is averaging 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game.
• Only DePaul's Khara Smith has a better total in the conference, as she has posted 13.
• Here is a breakdown of BIG EAST leaders through games as of Jan. 21, 2006:
Name, School - Double-Doubles 1. Khara Smith, DePaul - 13 2. Angela Clark, St. John's - 8 3. Gayle Nwafili, Providence - 6 4. Vaida Sipaviciute, Syracuse - 5 Marcedes Walker, Pittsburgh - 5 Katrina Wheeler, Georgetown - 5 7. Danielle Chambers, St. John's - 4 Tracy Harbut, Syracuse - 4 Barbara Turner, Connecticut - 4 Jazz Covington, Louisville - 4
PROTECTING THE HOUSE
• Head coach Kim Barnes Arico has brought home court advantage back to St. John's. So far this year, the Red Storm is undefeated on its home courts with a 7-0 record (6-0 at Carnesecca Arena; 1-0 at Madison Square Garden). Last season, St. John's posted a winning season at home (7-4) for the first time since the 1998-99 season.
TOURNAMENT SUCCESS
• St. John's claimed its first tournament title of the season, defeating Wake Forest (70-38) and Northwestern (95-53) at the Roger and Mildred White Invitational on Dec. 2-3.
• Angela Clark was the tournament's Most Valuable Player, while Danielle Chambers was named to the All-Tournament team.
• For the two games, St. John's out-scored its opponents, 82.5-45.5.
• In its next tournament (Surf `N Slam Holiday Classic hosted by San Diego), St. John's faced it toughest competition of the year in No. 2/2 Duke (Dec. 28). After falling to the Blue Devils, the Red Storm bounced back with a victory over Montana State (Dec. 30) in the consolation game.
• For her 17.5 ppg and 12.5 rpg over the two Surf `N Slam games, Angela Clark was named to the all-tournament team and was recognized in the BIG EAST's weekly honor roll on Jan. 2.
EARLY FORECAST
• Three exciting freshmen join the Red Storm for the 2005-06 season. Rookie Monique McLean has been impressive in her first season, as she averages 18.8 minutes per game and is fifth on the team in scoring with 8.1 points per game. Recently, she poured in a career-high 17 points on Jan. 11 vs. Pittsburgh on 6-of-8 shooting including three 3-pointers.
• Against Wake Forest on Dec. 2, the versatile guard drained three 3-pointers en route to 15 points. She recently put together a three-game double figure scoring streak, as she netted 11 points against No. 2/2 Duke (Dec. 28) and Montana State (Dec. 30) then followed up with 13 points on Jan. 4 vs. Notre Dame.
• The other two members of the Red Storm's freshmen class, Lisa Claxton and Angel Tate have also seen playing time. Claxton played a career-high 24 minutes in the Storm's Jan. 11 victory over Pittsburgh and scored a career-best eight points on Jan. 18 at Cincinnati. The point guard has been a consistent playmaker and currently ranks second on the team in assists with 2.8 per game.
• Tate, meanwhile, pulled down her first career rebound on Nov. 20 vs. Army and scored her first career points on Nov. 23 vs. Monmouth. Against BIG EAST foe Georgetown, the 6-2 Alabama native scored four points and had three rebounds.
LOCAL TIES
• One of head coach Kim Barnes Arico's goals when taking over the Red Storm program was to keep the top players from New York close to home at St. John's. Three seasons later, her philosophy continues, as six out of 11 players on the roster are from the Empire State.
• High school teammates Angela Clark and Kia Wright hail from Copiague, Long Island, while freshman Lisa Claxton is from Hempstead, Long Island. Seniors Mercedes Dukes and Danielle Chambers are from the Bronx and Brooklyn, respectively, while senior Dana Petersen is a Staten Island native.
• Born in Mastic Beach, N.Y., Barnes Arico is also a native New Yorker and has coached in or near the state during her entire career. She has moved up the coaching ranks from New Jersey's Fairleigh Dickinson-Madison and NJIT and out to Long Island at Adelphi University before making the move to Queens to take the reins of St. John's.
RED STORM IN THE RANKINGS
• St. John's has put up impressive numbers in its first 19 games, as the team currently ranks fourth in the BIG EAST for scoring offense (71.9 points per game).
• As a team, St. John's is third in the league for offensive rebounds with 16.42 per game and has out-rebounded its opponent in each of its victories this season.
• St. John's dynamic post players Danielle Chambers and Angela Clark ranked second and fourth for rebounding with 9.7 and 9.3 boards per game, respectively. Clark leads Red Storm players by ranking 12th in the BIG EAST for scoring (15.0 ppg).
• Kia Wright is 20th for scoring (13.0 ppg), fifth for assists (4.37 apg), fourth for steals (2.32 spg) and is the league's third-best free throw shooter (87.1 percent).
EXPERIENCE IS BACK
• St. John's has five players returning who averaged at least 20 minutes from last year's squad. At the top of the extremely deep roster is Kia Wright and Angela Clark. Wright was a second-team All-BIG EAST selection and led the team in scoring, while Clark registered more double-doubles than any other Red Storm player.
• The Red Storm boasts five seniors on its roster: Greeba Barlow, Danielle Chambers, Mercedes Dukes, Dana Petersen and Tara Walker. Barlow, Chambers and Walker all spent time in the starting line-up last season, while Dukes saw key minutes in a reserve role and Petersen is the only player to have been on the team all three seasons of Barnes Arico's tenure at St. Johns.
MORE FAMILIAR FACES
• Now entering her fourth year at St. John's, head coach Kim Barnes Arico has put together a staff that is more than familiar with her coaching.
• Assistant coach Shannon Farley first played for, then coached under Barnes Arico at Adelphi University on Long Island before moving with her to St. John's. Director of Basketball Operations Jackie Smith has been with Barnes Arico from the beginning, as she begins her fourth season at St. John's as well.
• Assistant coach Jonath Nicholas begins his second season on the Red Storm sidelines this year, while assistant coach Joe Tartamella returns in a full-time role after serving as a graduate assistant in 2002-03 and 2003-04.
SCOUTING WEST VIRGINIA
• The Mountaineers have an overall record of 11-6 (3-3 BIG EAST) after defeating Charleston, 72-58, in its last outing on Jan. 25. Meg Bulger scored 18 points and had six rebounds in that game, while Chakhia Cole added 15 points.
• Bulger is West Virginia's leading scorer at 20.1 points per game, followed by Olayinka Sanni (13.5 ppg) and Cole (10.6 ppg).
• St. John's trails the all-time series with West Virginia, 12-3, and the Mountaineers have won six-straight contests in the series. The last St. John's victory came on Feb. 10, 2001, a 66-41 decision in Queens.
• West Virginia's head coach is Mike Carey. He is in his fifth season in Morgantown and has compiled a 82-57 record there. As a head coach, Carey is in his 18th season and has a career record of 370-159.
UP NEXT
• Following Sunday's game, the Red Storm heads to Rutgers for a Wednesday night game.
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 in 2004-05 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.
