St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Readies for Western Michigan on Friday
11/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game Notes | Live Stats | Watch Live
QUEENS, N.Y. - On the heels of a 92-81 victory over William & Mary in its last outing, the St. John's women's basketball team will open the Gulf Coast Showcase against Western Michigan on Friday, Nov. 24 at 11 a.m. The contest will be the first of three games in three days, as the Johnnies take part in one of the best holiday tournaments in the country.
Every game of the tournament will be streamed live on FloHoops.com with Spence Siegel on the call.
Leading the offensive attack against the Tribe were junior Akina Wellere and freshman Qadashah Hoppie, who scored 21 points apiece. Wellere did most of her damage in the third quarter, as the Chicago native scored 15 of the team's school-record 36 points in the period. Wellere, a Preseason All-BIG EAST pick, couldn't miss in the third, knocking down all five of her attempts from the field including her lone attempt from long distance. From the free throw line, Wellere hit all four of her tries.
After scoring 16 points in her collegiate debut against St. Francis Brooklyn, Hoppie matched Wellere's team-high 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor against William & Mary. The Staten Island native hit four of her five attempts from beyond the arc and added two steals defensively in 27 minutes. At 18.5 points per game through two contests, Hoppie is the fifth-highest scoring freshman in the nation through games played on Nov. 19.
Western Michigan enters the Gulf Coast Showcase at 2-2 overall following a 79-56 loss at Iowa in its last outing. The Broncos were picked to finish fourth in the MAC with junior Breanna Mobley landing on the Preseason All-MAC West Division Team.
Western Michigan currently has three players averaging double figures, led by Mobley's 11.8 points per game. Marley Hill and Jasmyn Walker are both adding 11.0 points per outing. Mobley has also been doing work on the glass, grabbing 9.0 rebounds per game through four contests. The Lansing, Mich., native is also averaging 9.0 offensive boards in 25.3 minutes per game.
As a team, Western Michigan is shooting 36.0 percent from the field while opponents are shooting 37.9 percent. The Broncos have struggled from behind the arc early this season, hitting just 26.7 percent of their tries.
Friday's contest between St. John's and Western Michigan will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Red Storm owns a 3-6 record all-time against current Mid-American Conference opponents with the last meeting coming against Buffalo in 2008. The Johnnies and Bulls will meet later this season when Buffalo visits Carnesecca on Dec. 21.
Following the game against Western Michigan, the Red Storm will take on either NR/RV Rutgers or South Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 25. The Scarlet Knights enter the Gulf Coast Showcase with an overall record of 4-0 while the Gamecocks, also unbeaten at 4-0, enter the weekend ranked No. 3 and No. 2 in the nation by the Associated Press and USA TODAY, respectively.
