Women's Basketball Heads To Villanova For Conference Clash

The Red Storm enter The Pavilion for Wednesday's clash with Villanova on a four-game winning streak.

Women's Basketball Heads To Villanova For Conference Clash

1/21/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Jan. 21, 2014

QUEENS, N.Y. (Jan. 21, 2014) - The St. John's women's basketball team is back in action on Wednesday, Jan. 22, when the Red Storm concludes a two-game road swing at Villanova in a 7 p.m. tip at The Pavilion. St. John's is riding a four-game win streak and enters the conference contest with a 12-5 overall record and 5-1 mark in the BIG EAST, while the Wildcats sit at 13-4 overall and 3-3 in the league.

Following seven wins in its last eight games, the Red Storm received seven votes in the latest Associated Press Top 25. St. John's, who earned one vote in the 2013-14 USA Today Coaches' Preseason Poll, garners its first in-season AP recognition since receiving six votes in on Dec. 10, 2012.

Last Time Out

St. John's forced a season-high 25 turnovers and lived up to its name as one of the best 3-point defense units in the country by holding host Marquette to 1-of-14 from behind the arc in a thrilling 49-47 BIG EAST Conference road victory on Jan. 18.
Sophomores Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant scored 14 points apiece and every Red Storm player that saw minutes recorded at least a point.

Scouting The Wildcats

Villanova, who enters the midweek contest against St. John's at 13-4, 3-3 BIG EAST, is currently tied for fifth place in the conference standings with Xavier.
The Wildcats are winners of four out of their last six games with the last game being a road loss to DePaul, 91-65, on Jan. 19.
Allowing only 58.6 points per game, Villanova has the best scoring defense in the conference. The Wildcats also own the third best scoring margin (+8.2) in the conference.
Senior guard Devon Kane and sophomore guard Caroline Cover lead the scoring attack for Villanova, averaging 11.7 and 11.2 ppg, respectively. Third in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage is junior forward Taylor Holeman who's shooting at a .530 percent clip from the field this season.
Head coach Harry Perretta is in his 36th season leading the Villanova women's basketball program. His teams have gone on to compete in 10 NCAA Tournament and registered 15 20-win seasons.

St. John's & Villanova - The Series

Wednesday will mark the 54th time that St. John's faces longtime conference rival Villanova with the Wildcats holding a 31-22 advantage in the all-time series. The Red Storm is 7-18 when playing Villanova on the road.
The last meeting between the conference foes resulted in a St. John's 52-49 win on Feb. 27, 2013.

Red Storm Receive Votes In AP Top 25

Following a four-game win streak against conference opponents, the Red Storm received seven votes in the Associated Press Top 25 on Jan 20. It marks the first time since Dec. 10, 2012 that St. John's has received votes in the AP poll.

Sharp-Shooting Seniors

St. John's trio of seniors lead the Red Storm from behind the arc combining for 41 of the squad's 60 3-pointers. Briana Brown has a team-high 19 3-pointers, while Keylantra Langley has knocked in 12 and Eugeneia McPherson has made 10.

Grant Leads SJU's Bench Spark

The St. John's bench has given the Red Storm invaluable minutes and provided an instant spark when needed most, averaging 18.4 points per game this season.
Sophomore transfer Danaejah Grant leads the Red Storm reserves with 11.4 points per game shooting a 50.0 mark from the field and the 3-point line in her 22.1 minutes per contest. Prior to Grant's return to the hardwood due to transfer rules, St. John's was averaging 13.3 bench points.

Red Storm 3-Point Defense Ranks Top-15 In The Country

The Red Storm defense has been solid in the early 2013-14 season, holding opponents to just 63.6 points per game. St. John's foes are hitting just 26.0 percent of their attempts from behind the arc ranking the Red Storm 19th in the country in 3-point field goal defense.
In 2013-14, the Red Storm has limited two opponents to under a 10.0 percent mark from the 3-point arc with the most recent coming at Marquette where the Golden Eagles went 1-of-14 for a 7.1 percentage, the best 3-point defensive effort since Feb. 17, 2013 when the Red Storm held Cincinnati to a .000 (0-for-6) mark at Carnesecca. In the 2013-14 conference opener against Seton Hall, St. John's limited the Pirates to a 9.1 (1-for-11) percentage from behind the arc.

Red Storm Against BIG EAST Foes

The Red Storm sits at 5-1 in BIG EAST action and has three student-athletes averaging double-digits when playing conference foes as St. John's owns a +6.3 scoring margin. Danaejah Grant leads the way in league play with 13.7 points per game, Aliyyah Handford chips in 12.2 ppg and Briana Brown averages 10.7.

Road Trips

In seven road contests this year, the Red Storm is 4-3. The four victories have been filled with excitement with the most recent resulting in a two-point win at Marquette, 49-47. At away venues, the Red Storm is being outscored 67.7 to 67.3 after earning its four wins by an average of 5.0 points.
On the road, Aliyyah Handford leads St. John's with 18.0 points per game and Amber Thompson pulls in a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game.

Up Next

St. John's opens a two-game homestand on Sunday, Jan. 26, with a 6 p.m. tip at Carnesecca Arena against BIG EAST foe Georgetown. The conference clash will be nationally televised on FOX Sports 1.