St. John’s to Welcome Wake Forest on Friday Evening

Friday, November 22

Queens, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena)

7:30 p.m.

St. John's University

Wake Forest

St. John’s to Welcome Wake Forest on Friday Evening

11/21/2019 4:28:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Watch ESPN3 Live Stats Game Notes (PDF)

The Johnnies will showdown with the Demon Deacons at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN3

By: Victoria Lanza

Looking to rebound from its first setback of the season, the St. John's women's basketball team will welcome Wake Forest to Carnesecca Arena on Friday night for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Nkwa Asonye and Sky Lindsay on the call from Queens.

St. John's (2-1) will look to bounce back from its 76-73 loss at James Madison on Sunday afternoon. Despite falling to the Dukes, All-BIG EAST Preseason selection Qadashah Hoppie recorded her second 22-point performance in as many games. Through three contests this year, Hoppie is averaging a team-high 19.0 points per game to sit fifth overall in the BIG EAST for scoring. The 5-foot-7 guard is knocking down 61.1 percent of her tries from beyond the arc to rank 15th overall in that nation and second in the conference.

Tiana England entered the 2019-20 campaign as arguably one of the top point guards in the country, earning a unanimous selection to the All-BIG EAST Preseason Team, as well as a spot on the prestigious Nancy Lieberman Preseason Watch List. After leading the league in assists last year, the Stamford, Conn., native continues to hold down her title as the conference's top facilitator, dishing out a combined 19 assists for the Red Storm.

Through three games this year, England is averaging a league-best 6.3 dimes per contest to rank inside the top-20 in the NCAA. The redshirt junior is also tied for first in BIG EAST in steals with 3.7 swipes per game to sit 17th in the nation.

Freshman Unique Drake logged the first double-digit scoring performance of her career against JMU. The rookie guard knocked down all four of her attempts from the field to finish with 11 points. Classmate Leilani Correa has earned major minutes for the Johnnies off the bench this season. The Manchester, N.J., native has finished in double-figures in two of the team's three games, averaging 12.0 points per contest to lead all freshman in the BIG EAST.

As a team, the Red Storm defense has been stifling its opponents from distance. The Johnnies have held their competition to a 16.2 shooting percentage from beyond the arc, leading the conference and ranking second overall in the nation.

Friday will mark the fourth all-time meeting between St. John's and Wake Forest, with the Demon Deacons holding a 2-1 advantage.

Wake Forest enters the contest with a record of 2-2 following a 77-65 loss to Charlotte on Friday evening. The Demon Deacons are in search of their first win since doubling up the College of Charleston, 106-50, on Nov 8.

Ivana Raca paces Wake Forest offensively with 14.5 points per game. In addition to her scoring ability, Raca is pulling down 6.3 rebounds per contest. Two other players are averaging double figures for Demon Deacons, as Alex Sharp and Ona Udoh are posting 12.0 points per game. Sharp also leads the team in rebounds, grabbing 7.3 per contest.

As a team, Wake Forest is averaging 75.3 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the field, while draining 34 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.

After welcoming Wake Forest to Carnesecca Arena on Friday, the Red Storm will close out its two-game homestand with the University of Massachusetts on Monday evening at 7 p.m.