St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Heads to Villanova on Sunday
1/14/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FOX Sports Go | | Game Notes | Digital Media Guide
VILLANOVA, Pa. - On the heels of a 71-66 win over Georgetown on Friday, the St. John's women's basketball team rolls into Villanova to take on the Wildcats on the BIG EAST Digital Network on Sunday.
Nick Mantegna and D.J. Sixsmith will have the call with Jay Alter providing sideline analysis. The firs tip is scheduled for 2 p.m.
NEWS & NOTES
With the win over the Hoyas, St. John's improved to 5-1 in true road games this season and the Johnnies have won their last three games away from Carnesecca Arena.
Aaliyah Lewis continued her standout season with a 13-assist, nine-point, eight-rebound effort in Washington, D.C., leading the Johnnies to their 11th win in their last 13 games. Lewis began the season with the 10th-most assists in school history and has jumped to sixth on the all-time list with her play thus far. With another 39 dimes this season, Lewis will pass Kia Wright for fifth all-time.
Jade Walker has been unstoppable as of late, scoring 20 or more points in four of the six BIG EAST games the Red Storm has played this season. After a game-high 20 points at Georgetown, Walker needs just three points to become the 23rd player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
Against the Hoyas, Imani Littleton tied a career-best with 14 points while grabbing eight rebounds. Akina Wellere chipped in 14 points for her eighth 10-plus point game of the season.
Walker isn't the only member of the Red Storm on the verge of a milestone. Head Coach Joe Tartamella picked up his 99th career win on Friday and with his next victory, the fifth-year head coach will become the fifth coach in program history to reach 100 wins.
• Following Sunday's contest at Villanova, St. John's returns home for a four-game homestand that will see Creighton (Jan. 20), Providence (Jan. 22) and Butler (Jan. 27) visit Carnesecca Arena. On Jan. 29, the Red Storm will welcome Xavier to "The World's Most Famous Arena" as part of a doubleheader with the St. John's and Xavier men's basketball teams.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA
• Coming off a 69-52 win over Seton Hall in its last outing, Villanova enters play on Sunday with an overall record of 7-9, including a 3-3 mark in BIG EAST play.
• Villanova was predicted to finish fourth in the BIG EAST by the league's coaches in the Preseason Coaches Poll. Individually, Adrianna Hahn and Alex Louin were preseason All-BIG EAST first team selections. Kelly Jekot was selected as the Preseason Freshman of the Year.
Hahn and Louin are the team's top two scorers. Hahn is averaging 14.8 points per game, while Louin is averaging 12.5 points per contest.
As a team, Villanova is shooting 37.2 percent from the field, while opponents are shooting 43.8 percent from the floor. The Wildcats have been successful from behind the arc, averaging 8.4 made three-point shots per game.
Villanova leads the BIG EAST in fewest turnovers, averaging just 10.0 turnovers per game.
ST. JOHN'S vs. VILLANOVA -- THE SERIES
Sunday's matchup between St. John's and Villanova will be the 62nd meeting all-time between the two schools. The Wildcats hold a 36-25 advantage in the series history.
• Since the 2009-10 season, the Red Storm has won seven of the 12 meetings between the two teams. St. John's won six in a row from the 2009-10 season until the 2013-14 campaign, but since then, Villanova has won four of the past five meetings, including the last three. Overall, St. John's is 8-21 in games played at the Pavilion.
