St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts Holiday Classic At Carnesecca Arena
12/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2008
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's basketball team (9-1) wraps up its three-game homestand this weekend when it welcomes Buffalo, Boston College and Houston in the St. John's-Chartwells Holiday Classic.
• The Red Storm and Bulls will open tournament action on Saturday at 1 p.m., then the Eagles and Cougars will cap the day with a 3 p.m. tip-off. On Sunday, the consolation game will be played at 1 p.m. and the championship game will follow at 3 p.m.
• RedStormSports.com will stream all four games live through StormTracker All-Access presented by Allstate. The contests will have a live video and audio broadcast, which will feature a multi-camera setup, a scoreboard and advanced production capabilities. Fans can access the feature by going to RedStormSports.com, clicking on the All-Access button and signing up for the service. The All-Access subscription is $9.95 a month or $79.95 for the year. There will also be live stats for the contest that can be accessed for free.
History Lesson
• The contest between St. John's and Buffalo marks the sixth meeting between the schools. The Bulls hold the all-time series record, 4-1. St. John's has a 1-2 mark on the road and a 0-2 mark at home. The teams started the series on Dec. 17, 1995, with Buffalo picking up the 91-48 win. In the last meeting, the Red Storm ended its losing streak with a 57-47 win on the road on Dec. 10, 2003.
• Depending on Saturday's tournament results, the Red Storm could face Houston or Boston College. STJ and Houston have never faced each other in history, while the Red Storm and Eagles have faced off 42 times, with BC leading the all-time series, 29-13.
Scouting Tournament Opponents
• Buffalo enters the contest riding a two-game losing streak for a 4-5 overall record. The Bulls' last two contests have been close, as UB lost in overtime to Hofstra, 80-73, and is coming off a four-point loss to fellow BIG EAST school Providence, 67-63, on Dec. 16. Two players are averaging double figures in scoring. Kourtney Brown leads the way with 18.8 ppg and Jessica Fortman is second with 11.6 ppg.
• Boston College enters the tournament with a 7-2 record after posting a 93-65 win over Florida International on Dec. 14. The Eagles have won two-straight games entering the weekend, including winning four of their last five. Three BC players are averaging double figures in the points column. Carolyn Swords, who is leading the nation in field goal percentage at .707, is averaging a team-best 17.1 ppg, in addition to leading the way with a 9.6 rebounding average. Mickel Picco is netting 16.3 ppg, while Stefanie Murphy is scoring 10.1 ppg and is the team's second leading rebounder, averaging 6.8 per contest.
• Houston is riding a three-game winning streak and enters the tournament with a 6-2 record. The Cougars are coming off a 68-57 win over Cal Poly on Dec. 14. UH is led by Courtney Taylor, who is averaging a double-double with 16.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per contest. Her rebounding average is the 15th best in the nation. Roxana Button and Brittney Scott round out the double figure scorers for the Cougars, averaging 12.6 and 11.6 ppg.
Stat Of The Week
• 30: The Red Storm's margin of victory over Howard on Dec. 16.