St. John's University Athletics
St. John's In Milwaukee For Top 25 Showdown
2/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
Feb. 4, 2011
MILWAUKEE, Wis. - No. 23 St. John's (16-6, 5-4 BIG EAST) will travel to the home of the Super Bowl-bound Green Bay Packers to face the No. 23/24 Marquette Golden Eagles on Saturday, Feb. 5 in a top 25 road showdown. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. at the Al McGuire Center as an opening act for Sunday's big game.
Tip Off Quick Hits
• Saturday's contest between St. John's and Marquette (18-4, 6-3 BIG EAST) is only the eighth meeting between the two conference foes. Marquette holds a 5-2 series record over St. John's since joining the BIG EAST in 2005 from Conference USA. St. John's has won two of its last three contests vs. Marquette, but is still on the hunt for its first victory at the McGuire Center.
• St. John's is looking to extend its current winning streak to three, after defeating Providence on the road, 69-53 (Jan. 29) and Rutgers at home, 51-48 (Feb. 1) in a last second thriller. With the two victories, the Red Storm has moved up to 5-4 in league play. St. John's has won four of its last five games after a slight four-game slump in early January.
• Marquette has won six of its last seven games, two in overtime. Most recently, the Golden Eagles defeated Villanova 62-57 at home on Feb. 1. Prior to the game vs. Wildcats, Marquette took home a 74-70 overtime victory at Pittsburgh (Jan. 29).
• This season, St. John's is 0-2 against top 25 teams on the road. In the past five years, the Red Storm has recorded just two wins over ranked opponents as the visiting team. The last road victory over a Top 25 opponent was on Jan. 13, 2007, when St. John's upset then No. 23/RV Pittsburgh, 76-69. The first road upset occurred on Feb. 5, 2005, when St. John's defeated then-No. 16 Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Mass., 69-52, also marking the Red Storm's first win over a ranked opponent in over 10 years. At the time, St. John's last top 25 win was over then-No. 21 Connecticut on Jan. 6, 1993.
• On Thursday, Feb. 4, the St. John's women's basketball family added a new face to the fan base as associate head coach Joe Tartamella and his wife Shannon welcomed the birth of Brady Patrick Tartamella.
Red Storm vs. Golden Eagles
• St. John's and Marquette have only met seven times in a series starting in 2005 when Marquette joined the BIG EAST from Conference USA.
• The Golden Eagles won the first four meetings, winning the first one, 60-57, on Dec. 6, 2005 at the McGuire Center.
• During the 2006-07 season, St. John's and Marquette met twice, within 13 days. MU won both games, 69-58 (Feb. 13) and 69-60 (Feb. 26).
• St. John's notched its first victory over Marquette on Feb. 2, 2008, winning by 10, 77-67.
• Last season, St. John's notched a 71-58 victory over Marquette at Carnesecca Arena, marking the Red Storm's largest margin of victory over the Golden Eagles.
• St. John's has never won at the McGuire Center.
Coaching Match Up
• Ninth-year St. John's head coach Kim Barnes Arico is 146-119 (.551) at St. John's. She is 240-191 (.557) overall as a head coach. Barnes Arico marked her first win over Marquette on Feb. 2, 2008 at Carnesecca Arena.
• Marquette's head coach Terri Mitchell is halfway through her 15th season on the bench. Mitchell boasts a 290-166 record with the Golden Eagles. Mitchell is 5-2 over Barnes Arico. St. John's tallied both its wins within the last three years.
When Last They Met
• St. John's defeated the Golden Eagles at Carnesecca Arena, 71-58, on Jan. 5, 2010. The win marked the 118th victory for head coach Kim Barnes Arico as the St. John's skipper. With 118 wins, Barnes Arico tied Don Perrelli for the second-most all-time program wins.
• Nadirah McKenith tied the school-record for single-game free throw percentage, hitting 10-for-10 from the foul line. Da'Shena Stevens led the Red Storm in scoring with 18 points and 12 rebounds and tied her season-high with seven offensive boards.
• The lead changed three times during the first half, but at the end of the opening stanza, it was St. John's that came out on top, 35-29.
• In the second half, STJ extended its lead to 15, with just over eight minutes to play. With just under three minutes on the clock, Marquette had brought the game within five, 61-56, but STJ pulled away with 10-0 run down the stretch to seal the victory.
Last Time At McGuire Center
• The last time St. John's traveled to the McGuire Center was on Feb. 21, 2009. Marquette won the meeting 69-56.
• Kelly McManmon led with a team-high 16 points, while Da'Shena Stevens added 11. McManmon hit four 3's.
• St. John's was down by just five, 55-50, with under seven minutes left, but Marquette pulled away for the win.
Scouting Marquette
• At 18-4 (6-3 BIG EAST), Marquette is currently fifth in the league and is ranked No. 23/24 in the top 25 polls. The week is the first time Marquette has been ranked since the end of the 2006-07 season.
• Marquette is 3-3 against teams ranked in the Top 25. So far this season, MU has recorded key wins over then-No. 23/17 Green Bay, then-No. 15/14 Georgetown and then-No. 6/7 West Virginia.
• The Golden Eagles have three players averaging double figures with Angel Robinson leading the way with 14.0 ppg. Robinson also leads the team in rebounding with 5.8 boards per game. Helping Robinson in scoring is Tatiyiana McMorris (12.0 ppg) and Paige Fiedorowicz (10.6 ppg).
• Robinson became one of seven players in the country to be recognized by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) as a member of the 2010-11 State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List. She is also the team's assist leader with 5.2 per game.
Postgame Notes: Rutgers
• St. John's defeated Rutgers for just the fifth time in 36 meetings on Feb. 1, in a 61-58 thriller that went right down to the wire.
• The game came down to a turnover, a fast break layup from Nadirah McKenith and a lane violation, as St. John's won in the final 2.2 seconds of play. With STJ ahead by one, 59-58, RU was sent to the line to shoot two. Rutgers missed the first, but made the second tying the game. A lane violation from Rutgers' season-scoring leader, April Sykes nullified the point and RU was forced to foul on the next possession. Shenneika Smith sank both free throws to ice the game.
• For head coach Kim Barnes Arico it was the second-win over Hall of Fame Coach C. Vivian Stringer in as many seasons.
• The three-point win is St. John's closest margin of victory this season and the closest since last season's 68-65 win over Syracuse on Jan. 27, 2010.
• STJ used a 16-0 run to take a commanding 18-6 lead.
• STJ held Rutgers to a season-low 15 points in the first half. The Scarlet Knights previous low in a half was 17 points.
• Sophomore Amanda Burakoski had a career performance setting multiple records in points (16), field goals (5), 3's (4) and free throws (2).
• The last time St. John's defeated Rutgers in back-to-back meetings was in 1991 and 1993.
On This Date In STJ History
• The last time St. John's played on Feb. 5 was during the 2005-06 season when the Red Storm defeated South Florida at Carnesecca Arena, 78-71.
• The previous year, St. John's defeated Boston College on Feb. 5, 2005 at BC, 69-52, in an upset on the road. Boston College was ranked No. 16 at the time and the win was the first win for the Red Storm over a ranked opponent in more than 10 years.
• The Red Storm is 2-0 on Feb. 5 during the Barnes Arico Era.
Pink Zone Date Set!
• February is Pink Zone month! Remember to donate to St. John's and the WBCA's Pink Zone efforts to raise money for breast cancer research. Red Storm fans can help the cause by donating online at www.RedStormSports.com or by coming to St. John's annual Pink Zone game.
• This year the contest is scheduled for Feb. 13 for the Red Storm's match up against Georgetown during ESPN2's February Frenzy weekend. Don't forget to wear pink and support this national fundraiser.
Big East Teams Ranked
• Currently, the BIG EAST has nine teams ranked in both the Associated Press and USA Today/ESPN.com Coaches Polls. (NR/23) St. John's has already played four of the other ranked teams with No. 23/24 Marquette being the fifth. St. John's will host No. 17/19 Georgetown on Feb. 13 and No. RV/25 Syracuse the following weekend (Feb. 19).
Up Next
• St. John's will have a seven-day hiatus before the squad hosts No. 17/19 Georgetown on Sunday, Feb. 13. The game between the Red Storm and Hoyas will be televised live on ESPN2 as part of ESPN's February Frenzy Weekend. The contest is the designated Pink Zone game for the Red Storm. The women's basketball team and staff will be wearing pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
• Tip off is slated for 2:30 p.m.
