St. John's University Athletics
Joe Tartamella Releases 2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule
7/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
2015-16 Non-Conference Schedule
QUEENS, N.Y. - Coming off its eighth-straight postseason appearance in 2014-15, the St. John's Red Storm will once again face a challenging non-conference slate beginning this November.
St. John's 11 non-conference opponents boasted a combined record of 189-165 (.534) a season ago, with seven teams finishing above .500, five making postseason appearances, and four recording 20-win seasons. Of those five postseason teams, two made the NCAA Tournament and won at least one game. The other three squads appeared in the WNIT, winning a combined nine games in that tournament.
"Here at St. John's we have always valued the opportunity to challenge ourselves in our non-conference schedule," said Head Coach Joe Tartamella. "Once again we have given ourselves the opportunity to face a number of teams that played in the postseason this past year, including South Florida and Rutgers, both of whom won a game in the NCAA Tournament, the reigning WNIT Champion UCLA Bruins and Big 12 opponent Kansas on their home floor. All of these games will prepare us for an extremely competitive BIG EAST schedule."
The Red Storm will play six games on the road and five contests inside the friendly confines on Carnesecca Arena.
The fourth campaign of the Joe Tartamella era will kick off on Nov. 13 in sunny Los Angeles, as the Red Storm travels to UCLA for its season-opener. Last year, after finishing the regular season ranked sixth in the Pac-12, the Bruins made a miraculous run in March to claim the WNIT title. Looking to build off that championship, the Bruins will return both of their top scorers from their championship team a year ago.
Two days after opening the season in Westwood, the Red Storm will play its second-straight game in The Golden State, taking on UC irvine on Nov. 15. The Anteaters finished the 2014-15 campaign with a record of 8-24.
The Red Strom will return to the New York City area following its West Coast swing, playing its third-consecutive road contest when it travels to Rutgers on Thursday, Nov. 19. St. John's will face off against a Scarlet Knights squad that went 23-10 in its first year in the Big 10, advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Connecticut.
After three road games to kick off the season, St. John's will play its home opener on Sunday, Nov. 22, hosting perennial MAAC power Marist. Prior to their loss in the championship game of the MAAC Tournament this past March, the Red Foxes had won 10 out of the last 11 conference titles, missing the Big Dance for the first time since 2005. Despite not receiving an invitation to the tournament, the Red Foxes still managed to win 23 games a year ago, advancing to the WNIT. Marist and St. John's played a thriller in the Red Storm's third game of the 2014-15 season, as Coach Tartamella's squad outlasted Marist, 49-48, in front of a raucous crowd in Poughkeepsie.
St. John's contest against Marist will also serve as the beginning of a three-game home stand. The second game will feature yet another rematch of a thrilling 2014 Red Storm road victory, as St. John's plays host to South Florida on Nov. 29. Last season, the Bulls went 27-8 and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, but only after Aliyyah Handford and Danaejah Grant combined for 32 second half points to lift St. John's to a 55-52 victory over USF in Tampa on Dec. 7.
A few days after the Red Storm welcomes USF to Carnesecca Arena, St. John's will then host Sacred Heart on Dec. 3. The Pioneers finished the 2014-15 campaign with a record of 16-13, falling to eventual league champion St. Francis (N.Y.) in quarterfinals of the Northeast Conference tournament. Sacred Heart returns its leading scorer from last year in senior guard Hannah Kimmel, who averaged 16 points per game as junior.
Following three-straight home games, the Red Storm will travel to one of college basketball's most storied cathedrals, taking on Kansas inside Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Dec. 6. The Jayhawks, despite finishing last season with a mark of 15-17, have been a historically strong program, reaching the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in both 2012 and 2013.
After Kansas, St. John's will welcome yet another opponent from The Nutmeg State to Carnesecca Arena, playing host to Yale on Dec. 9. The Bulldogs and Red Storm faced off in the season opener for both teams a year ago, as Grant put up a season-high 30 points to lift the Red Storm to its first of 23 victories on the year. Yale finished 2014-15 with a record of 13-15, 7-7 in the Ivy League.
After playing four of its last five in Queens, the Red Storm will return to the road for a pair of contests, beginning with a Dec. 13 showdown in Orlando against UCF. The Knights will serve as yet another rematch from 2014-15, as the Red Storm downed UCF, 62-48, in Queens on Dec. 11. UCF is one of just four teams on St. John's non-conference slate that finished below .500 last season, putting up a record of 9-21.
On Dec. 19, the Red Storm will play the final road contest of its 2015-16 non-conference slate, traveling to The Steel City for a Saturday matchup with Duquesne. The Dukes and Red Storm had an identical finish to the 2014-15 campaign, registering a record of 23-11 and an appearance in the WNIT Round of 16.
St. John's will conclude non-conference play on Dec. 22, hosting Fairfield in Carnesecca Arena. The Stags compiled an overall record of 15-16 last season, but excelled in conference play with a record of 13-7 against MAAC opponents. Fairfield fell just one win shy of an appearance in the MAAC Tournament Championship Game, losing to Marist in the semifinals.
Season tickets for the 2015-16 season are on sale now through the Red Storm ticket office and 1-888-GOSTORM.
