St. John's University Athletics
Women's Basketball Continues BIG EAST Action At USF
1/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 8, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's basketball team will look to continue its six-game winning streak and perfect start in BIG EAST action when it travels to face the University of South Florida at the Sun Dome on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• The game will be broadcast live locally on Bright House Sports Network (BHSN) with Drew Fellios calling the action and Anddrikk Frazier providing the color commentary. Fans that are unable to watch the game can listen to the action by signing up for the Press Pass on GoUSFBulls.com or can access live stats for free.
• St. John's is 1-0 in TV games this season, as it defeated Northeastern, 70-52, in its season opener on Nov. 14.
History Lesson
• The contest between St. John's and USF marks the fourth meeting between the schools with the Red Storm holding the edge in the series, 2-1. Each team has posted a perfect record at their respective home arenas, as the Red Storm is 2-0 at Carnesecca Arena and the Bulls are 1-0 at the Sun Dome. St. John's won last year's meeting, 63-51, in Queens, N.Y.
Scouting The Bulls
• USF is coming off two-straight conference losses to enter the contest with a 13-3, 0-2 BIG EAST record. The Bulls were riding a nine-game winning streak. USF has not had it easy to start BIG EAST action, as it began league play at defending WNIT Champion Marquette on Jan. 3 (68-60) and returned home to host No. 1 Connecticut on Jan. 6 (83-37). Before the UConn game, the Bulls were the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation (89.9), and now they are averaging 86.6 ppg. Overall, USF's average margin of victory is 27.6 ppg.
• Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Bulls. Senior Shantia Grace is leading the way with 16.3 ppg and is shooting 38.0 from the field and 36.9 from 3-point range. Jazmin Sepulveda is averaging 13.3 points to average 40.0 from the field, and she is leading the way with 4.3 assists per game. Janae Stokes is providing a spark off the bench and is the Bulls' third-leading scorer with 13.0 ppg. She is shooting 42.0 from the field, but is even better from long distance with a 41.2 percentage beyond the arc.
Stat Of The Week
• 18: First half points Monique McLean scored in win over Providence on Jan. 3. She finished the game with 28 points.
20-Point Scoring Games
• There have been seven 20-point performances this season by Red Storm players. McLean has accounted for six of those efforts, while freshman Da'Shena Stevens has recorded one. McLean has recorded 20-plus points in the last four games. On the year, the Newport News, Va., native scored 23 against Dartmouth on Nov. 18, 24 against Vermont on Nov. 30, 27 against Buffalo on Dec. 20, 22 against Boston College on Dec. 21, 26 against Boston University and a season-high 28 against Providence. Stevens accomplished the feat on Nov. 22 against Manhattan when she scored a team-high 20 points.
KBA Edges Closer To 100th Win At STJ
• Head coach Kim Barnes Arico is only one win shy of her 100th-program victory at St. John's with a record of 99-92 through seven seasons.
Great Start To Open Season
• St. John's has opened the season 13-1 for just the third time in program history. The Red Storm's best start prior to this season came in 1983-84 when the squad recorded a 16-1 mark.
On Deck
• The Red Storm will return home and continue conference play when it welcomes Georgetown on Jan. 13 at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on CBS College Sports. The game between the Red Storm and the Hoyas is the 46th meeting all-time, with Georgetown holding the series record 24-21.
