St. John's University Athletics
Shenneika Smith Named BIG EAST Freshman Of The Week
2/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2010
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's women's basketball player Shenneika Smith was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon, while teammate Da'Shena Stevens was named to the honor roll.
Smith, who earned Freshman of the Week honors for the third time this season, and Stevens led the Red Storm to its biggest win in program history with a 76-71 upset victory over then-No. 4/3 Notre Dame on Feb. 16. The win was only the third in STJ history over the Fighting Irish.
A Brooklyn, N.Y., native, Smith posted her first-career double-double with a game-high 23 points and a personal-best 10 rebounds. The freshman was especially strong from the free throw line, connecting on 10-of-12 attempts, and she added three assists and two steals in 35 minutes of action.Smith saved the best for the final half of the game, scoring 13 points, grabbing six rebounds and going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line to fight off a late Notre Dame rally. In the final 32 seconds of regulation, Smith grabbed two rebounds and connected on four free throws to seal the victory.
Stevens scored 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Irish, recording her fifth double-double of the year. Her points were the second highest on the team and in the game and her 11 rebounds paced the Red Storm. She shot 50.0 percent from the field, going 7-of-14, connected on 7-of-10 attempts from the free throw line and added two assists and two steals in 35 minutes of play. Stevens scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in the second half.
The Red Storm will continue BIG EAST action on Wednesday when it travels to face Rutgers at 7:30 p.m.
