Red Storm Rolls into BIG EAST Opener with Xavier

The St. John's women's basketball team will embark on its first BIG EAST road trip of the season, traveling to Cincinnati for a Sunday showdown with Xavier at the Cintas Center.

The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. and will be live streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN) with Matt Schumacker and Paul Fritschner on the call.

The Red Storm (7-4) and the Musketeers (1-10) will meet for the 13th time in the history of the two programs, a series that started following the realignment of the BIG EAST. St. John's currently holds a 10-2 advantage over Xavier, claiming the last four meetings at the Cintas Center.

The Johnnies will kick off their 38th season of BIG EAST play on the heels of a 71-69 overtime victory over Fairfield on Dec. 20 to close out the non-conference slate.

Leilani Correa was named All-Met Player of the Week and earned a BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll nod following the Johnnies victory over the Stags. The freshman guard nailed 31 points for her second 30-ball outing in three games. The Manchester, N.J., native became just the third player in program history to eclipse the 30-point plateau twice in a single season and the first since Tawana Jackson, who finished with at least 30 points on four different occasions in 1995.

Correa has been a spark off the bench for the Johnnies all season, averaging 15.1 points per game to rank second among rookies in the conference. The 6-foot guard has hit 49.2 percent of her tries from the field this campaign.

On the year, St. John's has been efficient from the floor. The Red Storm is knocking down 45.4 percent of its chances, the best total of any team in the BIG EAST. Three Johnnies are shooting 47 percent or better from the field, led by sophomore guard Kadaja Bailey who paces the conference at 62.1 percent. The Red Storm has also seen success from distance so far this season, converting on 38 percent to sit second in the conference. Alissa Alston paces the league from three-point range, hitting 52 percent from downtown. In addition to their success from the floor, the Johnnies have been deadly accurate from the charity stripe this season at 78 percent, to lead the conference and sit sixth overall in the nation.

After leading the team in scoring a season ago, Qadashah Hoppie has continued to use her hot hand as she paces the squad offensively with 16.2 points per game heading into league action. The Staten Island native has finished in double figures in all but one game this season, eclipsing the 20-point mark on four different occasions.

The Musketeers, who were picked to finish eighth in the BIG EAST, enter league play with a record of 1-10. Under the direction of first-year Head Coach Melanie Moore, Xavier is looking for its first victory since its home opener on November 7, against Utah.

Junior forward A'riana Gray leads the team on both sides of the ball this season as she is averaging a double-double with 13.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. Teammate Carrie Gross is just shy of averaging double figures with 9.5 points per game.

Following Sunday's contest with the Musketeers, the Johnnies will wrap up their two-game road swing on Tuesday with trip to Indianapolis where they will take on Butler. The Red Storm and the Bulldogs are scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m. at the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse.

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Players Mentioned

Alissa Alston

Kadaja Bailey

Leilani Correa

Qadashah Hoppie

St. John's University Athletics