St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Rolls into Duquesne on Saturday
12/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
QUEENS, N.Y. - The winners of eight in a row and ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in two seasons, the No. 25 St. John's Red Storm will hit the road this weekend for a meeting with red-hot Duquesne on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
QUICK HITS
Following a 2-0 week that saw the Red Storm pick up convincing wins over Yale and UCF, St. John's earned a spot in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since Feb. 17, 2014, checking in at No. 25 in the nation. This is the 37th time in program history that St. John's has found a place in among the NCAA's top teams.
Since dropping its season-opener to now-No.19 UCLA, the Red Storm has been on fire, rattling off eight-straight wins by an average margin of 14.5 points per game. That stretch includes a victory over a nationally ranked opponent, as the Red Storm downed No. 18/17 USF, 74-70, at home on Nov. 29. During this tear, the Red Storm is shooting a blistering 48.5 percent from the floor and is assisting on 46 percent of its field goals.
Last season and during the opening stretch of this campaign, the Red Storm struggled mightily from the charity stripe, finishing last in the BIG EAST in free throw percentage in 2014-15 (62.6%). Over the last five games, the Red Storm has found its rhythm at the line, converting on 72.9 percent of its chances. Danaejah Grant has led the Red Storm in this category, making 28 of her 34 tries from the line since Nov. 29 (82.4%).
The top two scorers in the BIG EAST at 20.8 and 19.2 points per game, respectively, Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford form one of the nation's most dangerous scoring duos. At a combined 40.0 points per game, the two Garden State natives are the fourth-highest scoring pair of teammates in the NCAA behind Kelsey Plum and Talia Walton of Washington (47.4 ppg), Rachel Banham and Carlie Wagner of Minnesota (43.9 ppg), and Shereesha Richards and Imani Tate of Albany (41.2 ppg).
SCOUTING DUQUESNE
The Dukes enter Saturday's contest on a hot streak, sporting a 10-1 overall record and a nine-game winning streak. With their only loss this season coming on the road at then-No. 25 Princeton, the Dukes have a winning streak of 16 games inside the friendly confines of the A.J. Palumbo Center dating back to last season.
Duquesne possesses the incredibly rare luxury of having five of its players averaging double figures on season. April Robinson, an All-Atlantic 10 Second Team selection last season, leads the pack at 13.8 points per game. She is also the team leader in assists with eight per game.
The Dukes are beating teams on the boards so far this year, averaging 44.5 rebounds per game to their opponents' 38.5.
Duquesne takes excellent care of the ball, sporting an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.21-to-1.
ST. JOHN'S VS. DUQUESNE- THE SERIES
Saturday will be the first-ever contest between the Red Storm and the Dukes.
The Red Storm went 1-0 against the Atlantic 10 last season, defeating Fordham 77-63 in the second round of the WNIT.
