Kadaja Bailey Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

After helping the St. John's women's basketball team finish second at the Paradise Jam with a 2-1 record, Kadaja Bailey was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week, it was announced Monday by the league office.

Bailey collects her first career rookie of the week award after being named the league's Preseason Freshman of the Year and earning a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll earlier this season.

In the Red Storm's three games last week, the Long Beach native averaged 9.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest off the bench for the Johnnies. Bailey averaged 28.3 minutes per game, shooting 61.1 percent from the floor (11-of-18) and 50.0 percent from three-point range (2-of-4). She also made four of her five tries from the charity stripe.

In a contest where every point mattered, Bailey added a bucket and two rebounds to her name on the stat sheet, helping the Red Storm open up the Paradise Jam with a 68-62 victory over Purdue on Thursday evening.

On Friday against No. 2 UConn, Bailey gave a stellar performance in the toughest battle of her young career. The 6-foot guard came just shy of notching her second double-double, recording 11 points and nine rebounds. The Long Beach native shot 71.4 percent from the floor, draining five of her seven tries. With the score knotted at 47 entering the final stanza, Bailey performed under pressure, netting six of her points in the fourth quarter before UConn inched its way back to victory, 65-55.

The BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year continued to live up to her title in Saturday's victory over Ole Miss, turning in a career-high 15 points on a 5-for-6 shooting effort from the field. With those 15 points, Bailey has now finished in double figures in three of the team's five contests this season and leads the league's rookies in scoring with 9.8 points per game. In addition to her stellar shooting effort, Bailey also added four rebounds, one assist and one steal en route to the team's 64-59 defeat over the Rebels.

Bailey and the Red Storm will return to action on Thursday, as St. John's welcomes Delaware State to Carnesecca Arena for the team's home opener at 7 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

St. John's University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Kadaja Bailey

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