St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Hosts La Salle In Midweek Match Up
11/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 16, 2011
GAME INFO
St. John's vs. La Salle
Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011
Carnesecca Arena (5,602)
LINKS
- Game Notes (PDF)
- Watch Now! StormTracker All-Access: St. John's vs. La Salle (subscription)
- Buy Tickets Now!
- Follow St. John's Women's Basketball On Twitter
- 2011-12 Game Promo Calendar
QUEENS, N.Y. - On Wednesday, St. John's women's basketball will conclude its two-game season-opening homestand against Atlantic 10 opponents. The Red Storm will host the La Salle Explorers in a 7 p.m. tip off at Carnesecca Arena.
Red Storm fans across the country can follow the action via STJ-TV's StormTracker All-Access live webcast with Ralph Bednarczyk and Nicole Kaczmarski on the call. Live stats will also be available via GameTracker on RedStormSports.com. Fans can also follow St. John's twitter updates at @stj_wbasketball #stjwbb.
Tip Off Quick Hits
• The Red Storm (0-1) will be looking to rebound after Saturday's season-opening loss to St. Bonaventure (Nov. 12) with a victory over the Bonnies' league foe.
• Wednesday's contest is just the second meeting all-time between the Red Storm and Explorers. Likewise, Saturday's game against St. Bonaventure was just the second contest in the St. John's-St. Bonaventure series.
• Despite the season-opening loss on Saturday to the Bonnies, this past week has been optimistic as the Red Storm signed three players during the early signing period, including a top 30 forward. St. John's welcomed Sandra Udobi-Ofugo, Ashley Perez and Cedrica Gibson to the Red Storm family for the Class of 2016.
• With five assists against St. Bonaventure, junior point guard Nadira McKenith has forever etched her name in St. John's history as the No. 10 all-time career assist leader (296)..
Last Time Out
• STJ lost 64-58 to St. Bonaventure (Nov. 12), with junior Eugenia McPherson leading the squad with 14 points. The Red Storm had two others score in double digits with junior guard Shenneika Smith adding 12 and redshirt sophomore Mary Nwachukwu netting 10. Rookie forward Amber Thompson from Newark, N.J. led St. John's on the glass with six boards and sophomore guard Keylantra Langleyhad a career-high nine points, four field goals and two blocks.
Red Storm vs. Explorers
• Wednesday's contest is the second-ever meeting between St. John's and La Salle. La Salle leads the series 1-0. It is head coach Kim Barnes Arico'sfirst match up against the Explorers.
Coaching Match Up
• 10th-year St. John's head coach Kim Barnes Arico is 152-125 (.549) at St. John's. She is 246-197 (.555) overall as a head coach.
• La Salle head coach Jeff Williams is entering his second season at the helm of the Explorers women's basketball program. Williams is 11-21 (.343) overall.
• Barnes Arico and Williams have never met head-to-head.
BIG EAST Roots
• Explorer skipper Jeff Williams is in just his second year as a head coach, but he is no stranger to BIG EAST play. Williams spent seven years at Pitt under head coach Agnus Berenato, four as her associate head coach. With Pitt, Williams helped coach the Panthers to three-straight NCAA Tournaments, including Sweet 16 showings in 2008 and 2009.
Against the Atlantic 10
• In the past three seasons, St. John's is 5-1 against teams in the current Atlantic 10.
• In 2010-11, the Red Storm defeated St. Bonaventure, 55-44 (Nov. 29) and Rhode Island, 73-49 (Dec. 11). In 2009-10, STJ defeated UMass, 82-52 (Nov. 18), St. Joseph's, 81-74 (Nov. 29) and Rhode Island (Dec. 13).
• The Red Storm plays two-consecutive A10 opponents to open 2011-12, playing the Bonnies in the season-opener on Nov. 12 and La Salle at Carnesecca Arena on Nov. 16. St. John's lost to St. Bonaventure, 58-64.
• Last season, St. John's went 12-3 against non-BIG EAST teams, including a victory over Texas Tech in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Since the season-opener in 2009-10, STJ is 24-5 against non-con foes.
When Last They Met
• The only time St. John's and La Salle played each other was on Dec. 30, 2001 in Philadelphia. The Explorers defeated the Red Storm, 57-53. St. John's and La Salle were co-participants in last season's Maryland Terrapin Classic in December, but St. John's defeated Liberty and advanced to the Championship game against Maryland. La Salle finished the tournament against Liberty.
Scouting The Explorers
• La Salle was picked to finish 11th in the A10 and is 1-1 during the first week of play, defeating Lehigh, 63-43 (Nov. 11) and losing to Albany, 81-76 (Nov. 13).
• The Explorers finished 2010-11 with an overall record of 10-20 and made their first trip to the A10 Tournament since the 2006-07 season.
• In 2011-12, the Explorers added to their roster a recruiting class with two top-100 position players and four McDonalds All-American nominees.
• Rookie Jada Payne leads the Explorers in scoring averaging 15.5 points per game over a two game span. Payne was named A-10 Rookie of the Week on Nov. 14 for her efforts.
• The Explorers have three other players averaging double figures with rookie Jordan Mosley (14.0 ppg), redshirt junior Brittany Wilson (12.5 ppg) and senior Nadia Duncan (10.5).
On This Date In STJ History
• Overall, St. John's is 3-0 on Nov. 16, while Kim Barnes Arico is 1-0 on Wednesday's date.
• All games have been played at home.
• St. John's defeated Manhattan, 77-51, in the 2010-11 home-opener for the Red Storm. Ranked 20/23, St. John's had four players score in double figures and shot 52.5 percent from the field. Shenneika Smith scored a game-high 18 points for STJ.
• STJ also played Manhattan on Nov. 16, 1997, defeating the Jaspers, 56-53 at Carnesecca Arena. St. John's defeated Dominican at home, 59-33 in 1976.
Nwachukwu's Perfect Debut
• After sitting out the `10-'11 season due to transfer rules, forward Mary Nwachukwu made quite a debut with the Red Storm. The Massachusetts native and Boston College transfer went a perfect 4-for-4 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line for a 10 point outing that was third-best on the team against St. Bonaventure on Nov. 12.
• With the loss of Da'Shena Stevensto injury, Nwachukwu started as a forward in the season-opener against the Bonnies.
St. John's Inks Three For Class of 2016
• On Wednesday, Nov. 9 the early signing week began for winter and spring sports. Through seven days of signing, St. John's secured three NLI's for the Red Storm's future class of 2016, including a Top 30 prospect.
• Ashley Perez and Cedrica Gibson signed their National Letters of Intent on Nov. 9. While Top 30 prospect and Nigerian native Sandra Udobi-Ofogu inked her NLI on Nov. 14.
• Udobi-Ofogu, a much-need post presence, is rated 30th in her class by BlueStar Basketball, 39th by All Star Girls Basketball Report and No. 74 on ESPN HoopGurlz. She played AAU with the Philadelphia Belles, where she turned heads at this summer's Nike Junior Nationals. She also led her high school team, Life Center Academy, with 21.7 points and 10.7 rebounds per game.
• Perez comes from Manchester High in Manchester, Conn., where she will start her senior season as the all-time leading scorer with 1,436 points. A 3-point shooter, Perez is a three-time CCC North Division All-Conference honoree (2008-11) a two-time CIAC (Connecticut Association of Schools) Class LL All-State guard.
• Gibson, out of Greensboro, N.C., spent her junior season at Oak Ridge Military Academy. A notable point guard in the Southeast, Gibson was noted for her ball handling skills as well as her ability to shoot the long ball. Gibson led Oak Ridge in scoring with 11.6 points, 7.2 assists per game in 2010-11. She will spend her senior year at Thomasville Prep in High Point, N.C.
Up Next
• St. John's will travel east on the LIE to face Long Island-rival Hofstra. Tip off between the Red Storm and Pride is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18.
• Friday's contest is the first time the two squads will face each other since the 2005-06 season. St. John's defeated Hofstra, 71-65.
