St. John's Closes Out Non-Conference Slate against JMU

Coming off of an 83-57 road win against La Salle last Saturday, the St. John's women's basketball team will wrap up non-conference play in Harrisonburg, Va., against St. John's head coach Joe Tartamella's alma mater James Madison.

The contest is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on MadiZONE HD SportsNet.

The tilt will mark the fourth all-time meeting between the programs, with the Johnnies maintaining a 2-1 edge. Last season, the Red Storm used 23-12 third quarter scoring outburst to propel the Johnnies to an 81-64 victory behind stellar performances from Akina Wellere and Tiana England. Wellere led the Johnnies with 18 points, while England stuffed the stat sheet dropping 17 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting effort from the field. The Stamford, Conn., native also added eight assists, six rebounds, two steals, and a block in a dominating performance.

The Red Storm is coming off of its best shooting effort of the season, in a convincing double-digit win over the Explorers. As a team, the Johnnies shot 56.1 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Wellere paced the Red Storm, with a game-high 21 points in the Johnnies' last outing against the Explorers. The Chicago native is now just 31 points shy of reaching a career milestone and notching her 1,000th career point.

In Saturday's win, Alisha Kebbe delivered a stellar performance, netting 19 points on a 6-of-12 shooting effort from the floor. The Philadelphia native also tied a career-high with four steals, while adding two blocks and a pair of assists to her name on the stat sheet. For her efforts, Kebbe was rewarded with a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll and took home co-player of the week accolades from the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. This season Kebbe has notched double digits in seven of the team's 10 contests.

Saturday's effort against the Explorers was also the fifth time in 10 games where St. John's had at least four players score in double figures, as Wellere, Kebbe, Qadashah Hoppie, and Kayla Charles all eclipsed the 10-point mark.

BIG EAST Preseason Freshman of the Year selection Kadaja Bailey was named the conference's rookie of the week for the second time this season after adding eight points and seven boards in the Johnnies' win over the Explorers.

James Madison enters Friday's meeting looking to settle in on offense. The Dukes are shooting only 39.2 percent from the field. In its last outing, JMU saw its four-game win streak snap, as Wake Forest made two last-second free throws to take the 50-49 win over James Madison.

In the team's most recent contest, Lexie Barrier, one of three players to average double figures this season for JMU, paced the team with 14 points. Junior guard Kamiah Smalls currently drives the Dukes' offense, averaging 18.6 points per game.

St. John's will have just over a week off for the holiday season following Friday's game. The Johnnies will then open BIG EAST play at Seton Hall on Sunday, Dec. 30, at 1 p.m.

St. John's Closes Out Non-Conference Slate against JMU

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Players Mentioned

Kadaja Bailey

Kayla Charles

Tiana England

Qadashah Hoppie

Alisha Kebbe

Akina Wellere

St. John's University Athletics