St. John's University Athletics
STJ Set For Super Bowl Sunday Showdown With SHU
2/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 5, 2010
- Game Notes
- Live Stats
- Watch Live (PPV)
- Pink Zone Flyer
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- WBCA Pink Zone Web Site
QUEENS, N.Y. - The No. 25 St. John's women's basketball team will continue BIG EAST action on Super Bowl Sunday when it travels to face Seton Hall at 2 p.m.
• There will be a live video stream of the contest that can be accessed for a fee on SHUPirates.com. Live stats will also available on Seton Hall's Web site.
Red Storm Enters Both Top 25 Polls
• St. John's earned its first Top 25 ranking this week, claiming the No. 25 spot in both polls. The Red Storm received votes eight of 11 weeks in the Coaches' Poll before garnering 58 points to claim the 25th spot in week 12. In the AP Poll, STJ received votes 10 of 11 weeks before earning 78 points to rank No. 25.
• The Red Storm is off to one of its best starts in history with an 18-4 overall and 6-3 BIG EAST mark, including winning five of its last six games. The team's 18-4 record ties the best start under the direction of eighth-year head coach Kim Barnes Arico.
• St. John's enters the Top 25 Poll for the first time since the 2005-06 campaign, when it was ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll and No. 24 in the Coaches' Poll on Feb. 6, 2006, in week 13. That year was a breakthrough season for the Red Storm and Barnes Arico, as the team earned its first NCAA Tournament berth in nearly 20 years.
History Lesson
• The contest between St. John's and Seton Hall is the 58th meeting all-time and the second this season. The Red Storm has the edge in the series, 32-25, including winning five straight and nine of the last 11. Both teams have had better success on their respective home courts, as STJ has a 16-10 record at home and SHU has a 14-12 slate. The Red Storm won the first meeting this year, defeating the Pirates 60-40 at Carnesecca Arena on Jan. 12. Last season the two teams met on Super Bowl Sunday, with the Red Storm picking up the 89-84 win on Feb. 1, 2009.
Scouting The Pirates
• Seton Hall enters the contest with a 9-13, 1-8 BIG EAST record. The Pirates lost nine straight before picking up their first conference win of the year, a 53-49 victory over Villanova in its last game on Jan. 30. Three players are averaging double figures in scoring for the Pirates. Ebonie Williams is pacing the team with 13.8 points per game and with 58 3-pointers made. Kandice Green is second with a 13.6 scoring average, and is the team's leading rebounder, grabbing 8.6 per contest. Nicole Emery rounds out the double-figure scorers averaging 10.0 points per game.
"Mac" Attack
• St. John's "Mac Attack" of Joy McCorvey, Nadirah McKenith, Eugeneia McPherson and Kelly McManmon accounted for 63.1 percent of the Red Storm's offensive production against Georgetown, scoring 36 of the team's 57 points. On the season, the "Mac Attack" is responsible for 39.1 percent of STJ's scoring. In BIG EAST contests, the group has accounted for 42.2 percent of the Red Storm's points.
McManmon In The Groove
• McManmon has stepped up her game in BIG EAST play. The senior guard became St. John's all-time leader in made 3-pointers against Cincinnati (Jan. 10) and is shooting 53.1 percent (26-of-49) from long distance and 52.7 (29-of-55) from the field against BIG EAST opponents. Her 3-point field goal percentage is tops among all BIG EAST players and her field goal percentage is the 10th-best. McManmon's sharpness from beyond the arc is reflected in her BIG EAST scoring. She is averaging 9.8 points in conference games and 5.2 points in non-conference games. She has also reached double digits in scoring five of the last seven games.
McPherson Stepping Up
• McPherson has really stepped up her play the past two contests for the Red Storm, leading the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game. Against Providence on Jan. 30, the guard exploded in the first half, scoring 10 of her 12 points. She was 4-of-6 from the field en route to recording her highest field goal percentage of the year at 66.7 percent. She also had a perfect 2-of-2 effort from beyond the arc. In the team's next game at Georgetown, McPherson scored a career-high 14 points, 11 coming in the final half, to lead the team. A native of North Babylon, N.Y., she was strong from the charity stripe, finishing the game 6-of-8. McPherson also grabbed three boards against Georgetown to tie her career high.
STJ-Villanova Designated As Pink Zone Game
• The Red Storm has designated its BIG EAST contest against Villanova on Feb. 27 as its Pink Zone game to help raise money for breast cancer research in association with the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). The first 500 fans will receive a free St. John's Pink Zone t-shirt courtesy of Coca-Cola. During the game, there will be a variety of promotional items given away, in addition to a silent auction that will be held during the contest.
Close To 20 Wins
• Barnes Arico has led the Red Storm to unprecedented success since she took over the program in 2002-03, and this season is no different. With an 18-4 slate, the Red Storm is only two wins away from its 20th victory of the year, which would mark the third 20-win season for Barnes Arico at STJ and the 11th 20-win season in program history.
McKenith Records 100th Assist
• With five assists against Georgetown on Feb. 2, McKenith reached the 100-assist plateau. The freshman point guard is only 48 away from tying Debbie Brajevich for the No. 10 spot on St. John's single-season record list.
McManmon Close To 200
• Already the all-time 3-point record holder in Red Storm history, McManmon is only six long-distance baskets away from connecting on her 200th-career trey. In three seasons, the senior has amassed 194 3-pointers.
RPI Ranks Among The Top 20
• In the report released by the NCAA on Feb. 1, St. John's RPI was rated the 19th best in the country and the fifth best among BIG EAST schools.
On Deck
• The Red Storm will return home and host Louisville at Carnesecca Arena on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Climbing Up The Charts
• With 11 rebounds against Stetson on Dec. 1, McCorvey entered the top 10 on St. John's all-time rebounding list, tying Marianne Noonan for ninth place with 597. The senior has grabbed 167 total rebounds this season and now sits in fourth place with 722 career boards. She is 29 rebounds away from moving past Angela Clark (750) for third place.
• McCorvey is also close to entering the top 10 in blocks. She has amassed 63 career swats and is only seven from tying Jasmine Crawford for 10th all-time.
