St. John's University Athletics
Women's Basketball Set To Host WNIT
3/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 18, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's women's basketball team has earned its third berth to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and will make its fourth postseason appearance in five years when it takes on Harvard on Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round held at Carnesecca Arena.
• RedStormSports.com will stream the game live through StormTracker All-Access for free. Fans can access the feature by going to RedStormSports.com, clicking on the All-Access button and signing in. There will also be live stats for the contest that can be accessed for free.
History Lesson
• This is the first meeting between the Red Storm and Crimson.
Scouting The Crimson
• Harvard enters the contest with a 19-9, 11-3 Ivy League record, and has won six of its last seven and 11 of its last 13 games. The team is averaging 68.8 points per game and its average margin of victory is 6.0. Harvard is outshooting its opponents 43.9-39.6 from the floor and 33.5-31.2 from 3-point range. Additionally, the squad is outrebounding its opponents by 3.5 a game.
• Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Crimson. Emma Markley leads the team with 14.0 points and boasts a field goal percentage of 50.3, connecting on 166-of-330. The sophomore is also the team's defensive leader with 7.1 rebounds per game and 45 blocks on the season. Emily Tay is scoring 12.6 ppg, connecting on 141-of-320 to shoot 44.1 from the field. The senior leads the team with 146 assists. Brogan Berry rounds out the double-figure scorers with 11.9 ppg, including ranking second with 30 3-pointers made.
A Look Ahead
• The winner of the first-round game will travel to face Hartford on Sunday at 4 p.m. The Red Storm and the Hawks have faced each other twice, with Hartford winning all previous contests. The two teams faced off last season in a closely-decided contest, as the Hawks came away with the 64-62 win on Dec. 7, 2007.
• Hartford enters the WNIT with a 20-11, 14-2 America East slate and has won four of five and six of its last eight. The 2008-09 campaign marks the fifth-straight 20-win season for the Hawks. On the year, the team is averaging 65.6 points and is outscoring its opponents by 9.2. Hartford is shooting 41.4 percent from the field compared to its opponents' average of 37.2.
• Two players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Hawks. Diana Delva leads the way with 11.9 points and is second in rebounding with 6.4 per contest. Erica Beverly is the second-leading scorer with 11.2 points and is grabbing a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game.
Stat Of The Week
• 4: Number of STJ postseason appearances under head coach Kim Barnes Arico. The total is the most by a Red Storm coach since Dom Perrelli led STJ to five from 1979-84.
Last Year In The WNIT
• Last season, the Red Storm clinched an at-large bid and earned a first-round bye in the WNIT. STJ rattled off wins over Iona, 65-59, and Boston College, 65-56, at Carnesecca Arena to advance to the quarterfinals against NC State. The Red Storm managed to overcome a 24-point deficit to tie the score in the second half, but the Wolfpack held on for the 63-61 win on March 30, 2008.
