St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Welcomes Big Ten Foe Penn State on Thursday Night
11/15/2023 2:03:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Unique Drake averaged 25.5 points per game in the opening week of the season
QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's women's basketball team will welcome a Big Ten opponent to Carnesecca Arena for the first time in seven years when it welcomes Penn State on Thursday night.
The contest is set to tip at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on FloSports with Ralph Bednarczyk and Sam Kuperman on the call from Queens.
The Red Storm went 1-1 during the opening week of the 2023-24 campaign. After a resounding 81-44 victory over LIU. The Johnnies fell in their first road contest after leading the majority of the game at Monmouth, 74-69.
Unique Drake has been superb to start her fifth year with the program. The redshirt senior is currently averaging a BIG EAST leading 25.5 points per game. After pouring in the most points by a Red Storm player since 2021 and a career-best 27 in the opener against LIU, she followed it up with 24 at Monmouth. The Columbia, S.C., native matched a personal high with 10 made field goals against the Hawks. Overall, Drake is shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent long range. The team captain was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor on Monday.
Jillian Archer is averaging a double-double in the early going logging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds through two games. At Monmouth, the forward chipped in 15 points and posted a double-double (11 points and 12 rebounds) in the season opener.
Amber Brown eclipsed the coveted 1,000 career point mark at the OceanFirst Bank Center. The graduate student will be honored on-court pre-game to commemorate the accomplishment.
The Johnnies have shot well from beyond-the-arc in its first two outings posting a 38.9 percent mark from 3-point range, which leads the BIG EAST. Drake is currently averaging 4.0 triples per game which ranks tied for 11th in NCAA Division I.
Thursday marks the first time the Red Storm will host a Big Ten opponent since Dec. 7, 2016 when it ran past Rutgers, 65-39. In its last meeting against a conference member, St. John's pulled out a thrilling victory over Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament First Four, 66-64, on March 16. Head Coach Joe Tartamella holds a 4-2 record against the Big Ten during his time at the helm.
The Johnnies and Lady Lions will meet for just the second-time. The two schools met two years ago in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. Penn State pulled out an 80-75 victory at Hertz Arena in the inaugural meeting between the squads.
The Lady Lions enter Thursday's tilt with a 3-0 record and boast a high-powered offense. In its first three outings, Penn State has scored an average of 97.3 points, which ranks ninth in the country.
In its most recent outing, Penn State downed reigning WNIT Champion Kansas, 91-85, on Monday night at Bryce Jordan Center. Returning All-Big Ten First Team selection Makenna Marisa went off for a career-high 34 points in the winning effort. Thursday's battle will mark the first road game for the Lady Lions this year.
Following Thursday's game, the Red Storm will host its second-straight home matchup against Manhattan on Sunday at 2 p.m. before heading down to Puerto Rico for three games over Thanksgiving break.
The contest is set to tip at 7 p.m. and will be streamed on FloSports with Ralph Bednarczyk and Sam Kuperman on the call from Queens.
The Red Storm went 1-1 during the opening week of the 2023-24 campaign. After a resounding 81-44 victory over LIU. The Johnnies fell in their first road contest after leading the majority of the game at Monmouth, 74-69.
Unique Drake has been superb to start her fifth year with the program. The redshirt senior is currently averaging a BIG EAST leading 25.5 points per game. After pouring in the most points by a Red Storm player since 2021 and a career-best 27 in the opener against LIU, she followed it up with 24 at Monmouth. The Columbia, S.C., native matched a personal high with 10 made field goals against the Hawks. Overall, Drake is shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 57.1 percent long range. The team captain was tabbed to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor on Monday.
Jillian Archer is averaging a double-double in the early going logging 13.0 points and 10.0 rebounds through two games. At Monmouth, the forward chipped in 15 points and posted a double-double (11 points and 12 rebounds) in the season opener.
Amber Brown eclipsed the coveted 1,000 career point mark at the OceanFirst Bank Center. The graduate student will be honored on-court pre-game to commemorate the accomplishment.
The Johnnies have shot well from beyond-the-arc in its first two outings posting a 38.9 percent mark from 3-point range, which leads the BIG EAST. Drake is currently averaging 4.0 triples per game which ranks tied for 11th in NCAA Division I.
Thursday marks the first time the Red Storm will host a Big Ten opponent since Dec. 7, 2016 when it ran past Rutgers, 65-39. In its last meeting against a conference member, St. John's pulled out a thrilling victory over Purdue in the 2023 NCAA Tournament First Four, 66-64, on March 16. Head Coach Joe Tartamella holds a 4-2 record against the Big Ten during his time at the helm.
The Johnnies and Lady Lions will meet for just the second-time. The two schools met two years ago in the opening round of the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. Penn State pulled out an 80-75 victory at Hertz Arena in the inaugural meeting between the squads.
The Lady Lions enter Thursday's tilt with a 3-0 record and boast a high-powered offense. In its first three outings, Penn State has scored an average of 97.3 points, which ranks ninth in the country.
In its most recent outing, Penn State downed reigning WNIT Champion Kansas, 91-85, on Monday night at Bryce Jordan Center. Returning All-Big Ten First Team selection Makenna Marisa went off for a career-high 34 points in the winning effort. Thursday's battle will mark the first road game for the Lady Lions this year.
Following Thursday's game, the Red Storm will host its second-straight home matchup against Manhattan on Sunday at 2 p.m. before heading down to Puerto Rico for three games over Thanksgiving break.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
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