St. John's Welcomes Villanova for Sunday Showdown

Fresh off a victory over Georgetown at Carnesecca Arena, the St. John's women's basketball team will look to pick up its second-straight win in conference play when the Johnnies welcome Villanova to Queens on Sunday afternoon.

The game, which is set to tip at 2 p.m., will be live streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) via FOX Sports Go. Sky Lindsay and Jon Yardley will be on the call from Queens.

The Red Storm (9-10, 2-6) enters Sunday's matchup on the heels of a crucial conference win, having downed the Hoyas, 59-51, on Friday night. Curteeona Brelove led the way for the Johnnies, scoring 15 of her 17 points in the second half to help St. John's to victory. The Malone, Fla., native also brought down a game-high 10 boards to finish with her fourth double-double of the season.

While Brelove's double-double effort ultimately lifted the Johnnies to victory, it was an all-around team effort as each member of the squad found the bottom of the bucket en route to the Johnnies win.

Akina Wellere and Alisha Kebbe poured in 11 points apiece for the Red Storm. Wellere also finished the night with six rebounds and a career-high three blocks, while Kebbe added five assists and two steals to her name on the stat line.

The Johnnies outscored the Hoyas on second chance points by a 24-13 margin. This marked the first time during conference play that St. John's has recorded more than 15 second chance points in a single contest.

St. John's and Villanova (12-7, 3-5) will matchup for the first time this season, and the 66th all-time meeting, with the Wildcats leading the series, 38-27.

The Wildcats enter Sunday's contest following a 70-66 comeback victory over Seton Hall on Friday night. Junior forward Mary Gedaka dropped 20 points en route to Villanova's win.

Junior guard Kelly Jekot paces the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game, while her classmate Gedaka sits second at 13.4 points per game. Gedaka is also the team's top rebounder, averaging 7.5 boards per outing. Gedaka has been deadly accurate from the field this season, sinking 110 of her 165 attempts to lead the conference and rank fifth on the national level with a 66.7 percent shooting clip.

In the Wildcats' most recent win over the Pirates, the squad was 10-of-28 from three-point range, marking the 11th time this year that Villanova has finished with double-digit triples. The Wildcats have recorded a combined 182 three-pointers this season to sit ninth nationally, while draining 9.6 long distance shots per game, good enough for 13th overall in Division I.

After taking on the Wildcats, the Johnnies will continue their homestand, when the team welcomes Butler to Carnesecca Arena on Friday, Feb. 1. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on BIG EAST Digital Network.

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Players Mentioned

Curteeona Brelove

Alisha Kebbe

Akina Wellere

St. John's University Athletics