St. John's University Athletics
Women's Basketball Travels To Niagara Wednesday
11/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
- Game Notes (PDF)
Coming off its first win of the season, St. John???s continues its return to full strength and looks to build on the weekend victory with a trip to Niagara for a Wednesday night game. Tipoff from the Gallagher Center is 7 p.m.
Noting St. John's
??? St. John???s (1-3) won the consolation game of the Dead River Company Classic on the campus of the University of Maine over Thanksgiving Weekend, defeating Brown, 73-49, for its first win of the year. In the Red Storm???s first game of the tournament, the squad exploded offensively for a season-high 88 points, but fell in a close game to a tough ACC squad in Clemson on Nov. 24.
??? Senior guard Kia Wright, a preseason All-BIG EAST selection and All-America candidate, returned to the lineup in full force and appears to have recovered completely from a preseason ankle injury. Friday night against Clemson, Wright netted a season-high 25 points and dished out eight assists. She followed that performance up by just missing a double-double against Brown, scoring nine points and handing out a career-high 10 assists. For her efforts, Wright was named to the Dead River Company Classic???s All-Tournament Team.
??? Leading the Red Storm post players is Tiina Sten, a junior from Turku, Finland. Sten had the best game of her career against Clemson, scoring a career-high 27 points (9-for-11 FG, 7-7 FT). At 6-3, the versatile forward can spot up for the 3-point shot or bang with the big players down low, and with increased minutes in 2006-07 has made her presence known. She leads the team by averaging 15.5 points per game and is shooting better than 54 percent from the field.
??? Joining Sten in the post is sophomore Angel Tate, who saw limited action in a reserve role last season but has stepped up as a starter in 2006-07. In her most active game of the young season, Tate led St. John???s past Brown with 17 points and 12 rebounds (her second double-double of the year.)
??? The fourth player averaging double figures in scoring, Monique McLean, saw her first action of the year at the Dead River Company Classic after sitting out the first two games recovering from offseason knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. The sophomore sharpshooter immediately sparked the Red Storm offense, as she averaged 11.5 points per game over two games and hit 5-of-11 shots from 3-point land.
??? The Red Storm rookies have impressed early in the season, as Nikki Jo Rotolo, Joy McCorvey, Charisse Curtis and Allie Patterson have all seen significant minutes. Rotolo is averaging 8.3 points per game, while McCorvey is second on the team with 8.5 rebounds per game. Curtis, meanwhile, leads the team by shooting better than 54 percent from behind the 3-point line.
Red Storm Among The BIG EAST's Leaders
??? Wright has proven her playmaking skills early in the season, and currently leads the BIG EAST Conference in assists per game (7.0). Her 10 assists vs. Brown (11/25) also ties the best mark by any player in the league this year. The senior also ranks 13th for free throw percentage (.810).
??? Tate is tied for fourth with 9.0 rebounds per game, and tied for seventh with 1.50 blocks per game.
??? McCorvey, impressively, is tied for ninth with 8.5 rebounds per game and fifth for offensive rebounds with 3.75 per game.
??? Curtis is among the league???s best 3-point shooters as her .545 mark from long range ranks her third.
??? Sten is 12th in scoring (15.5 ppg) and 14th in field goal percentage (.545).
Postgame Notes: St. John's 73, Brown 49
??? St. John???s broke through with its first win of the year in the consolation game of the Dead River Company Classic at the University of Maine, a 73-49 defeat of Brown on Saturday, Nov. 25.
??? With the win, St. John???s improved to 1-3 and has one game remaining (Nov. 29 at Niagara) before it returns for a four-game homestand.
??? Perhaps the most significant news for the Red Storm faithful was the return of McLean to the lineup. The sophomore, seeing her first action of 2006-07, hit three 3-pointers and scored 12 points in 23 minutes vs. the Bears.
??? Notching her second double-double of the year was Tate, who showed her ability to dominate down low with 17 points and 12 rebounds. She was an impressive 8-for-11 from the field and also swatted two shots.
It's Not How You Start
??? The Red Storm showed vast offensive improvements in its last two games when compared to its first two games of the season. Below is a breakdown of the averages of the two games:
First 2 games Last 2 games
(Iona, Army) (Clemson, Brown)
Points Per Game 50.5 80.5
Point differential -11.5 +8.0
FG % .296 .470
3FG% .250 .405
Assists 23 37
A Look At Niagara
??? Niagara is 5-1 on the season after defeating Syracuse, 59-54, on Nov. 26. The Purple Eagles boast victories over the Orange, Colgate, Cleveland State, St. Bonaventure and UMES and have a lone loss to Duquesne.
??? Shaunna Ambrose leads the team by averaging 15.8 points per game, while Sarah Wilson is the team???s leading rebounder with 9.3 per game.
??? St. John???s leads the all-time series with Niagara, 2-1. Last year at Carnesecca Arena, the Red Storm prevailed 67-43.
Wright Chasing 1,000
??? Kia Wright is looking to become the 15th St. John???s player in history to surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career. The senior guard currently has 916 points and needs 84 for the milestone.
??? This year, Wright entered the St. John???s all-time Top 10 for assists, as she has 288 for her career and counting.
