St. John's University Athletics
St. John’s Earns Bid Into the Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament, Will Face Florida
3/17/2024 9:45:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Red Storm will travel to Gainesville to meet the Gators on Thursday at 6 p.m.
QUEENS, N.Y.– The St. John's women's basketball program has qualified for the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament, the selection committee announced on Sunday night.
The Red Storm will play Florida in the tournament's opening round on Thursday, March 21st at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ from the Exatech Center in Gainesville, Fla.
The postseason appearance marks the eighth in 12 years under Head Coach Joe Tartamella. The winningest coach in program history has led the Red Storm to four NCAA Tournaments, three WNIT's and will compete in the WBIT in its inaugural year.
In 2023, the NCAA announced the creation of the 32-team WBIT. The field as chosen by the selection committee features the "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament, seven regular season champions and 21 additional at-large selections. The Red Storm are one of four BIG EAST schools to qualify joined by Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova.
The Red Storm enter the tournament with a 17-14 overall record and finished third in the BIG EAST Conference after recording an 11-7 league mark. St. John's rebounded from a slow start and earned a top-20 win over then No. 20/19 Marquette on Jan. 3. The top-five conference finish marked the ninth under Tartamella in 12 seasons at the helm.
The Johnnies are led by unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection Unique Drake, who is averaging 17.7 points and ranked fourth in the league in scoring. Jillian Archer was an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice and has averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds for the squad this season.
The winner of Thursday's contest will advance into the second round to meet the winner of Toledo and Cleveland State.
The Red Storm will play Florida in the tournament's opening round on Thursday, March 21st at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed on ESPN+ from the Exatech Center in Gainesville, Fla.
The postseason appearance marks the eighth in 12 years under Head Coach Joe Tartamella. The winningest coach in program history has led the Red Storm to four NCAA Tournaments, three WNIT's and will compete in the WBIT in its inaugural year.
In 2023, the NCAA announced the creation of the 32-team WBIT. The field as chosen by the selection committee features the "First Four Out" of the NCAA Tournament, seven regular season champions and 21 additional at-large selections. The Red Storm are one of four BIG EAST schools to qualify joined by Georgetown, Seton Hall and Villanova.
The Red Storm enter the tournament with a 17-14 overall record and finished third in the BIG EAST Conference after recording an 11-7 league mark. St. John's rebounded from a slow start and earned a top-20 win over then No. 20/19 Marquette on Jan. 3. The top-five conference finish marked the ninth under Tartamella in 12 seasons at the helm.
The Johnnies are led by unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection Unique Drake, who is averaging 17.7 points and ranked fourth in the league in scoring. Jillian Archer was an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention choice and has averaged 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds for the squad this season.
The winner of Thursday's contest will advance into the second round to meet the winner of Toledo and Cleveland State.
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Women's Basketball
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