Red Storm WBB to Host No. 23 Seton Hall on Friday Evening

St John’s Women’s Basketball Huddle. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports

Fresh off a victory over Providence in its BIG EAST road opener, the St. John’s Red Storm will look to match its best start to a season since 2010-11 when it welcomes local rival Seton Hall to Carnesecca Arena for a 6 PM tip. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network, with Brent Stover and Julianne Viani on the call.

RED STORM QUICK HITS

Following 10 rebounds against the Friars on Tuesday afternoon, Amber Thompson is now within single-game striking distance of the St. John’s career rebounding record. With 855 for her career, the Newark, N.J., native is just 13 shy of tying Dianne Pugh for the highest total in school history. Through games played on New Year’s Eve, the senior forward ranks 10th in the nation with 11.8 boards per contest, highlighted by a season-high 17 boards at Marist on Nov. 24.

After registering 24 and 21 points, respectively, in the Red Storm’s win over Providence on Tuesday, Danaejah Grant and Aliyyah Handford maintained their lead on the top of the BIG EAST scoring standings. Grant, who leads the league at 19.7 points per contest, tallied her first double-double of the season against the Friars, while Handford, who is averaging 19.4 per outing, tallied 21 points and six boards on Tuesday. The duo currently ranks as the third-highest scoring pair of teammates in the country, ranking only behind Kelsey Mitchell and Ameryst Alston of Ohio State and Anita Brown and Sina King of Akron.

After tallying her second double-double of the season in the Red Storm’s loss to Indiana St., Jade Walker narrowly missed another double-double in her team’s win over the Friars. The Maplewood, N.J., native tied a career-high with 14 points on 5-of-11 shooting on Tuesday, in addition to sinking four of her five attempts from the charity stripe. The sophomore also pulled down nine boards against the Friars, the highest total of her BIG EAST career.

Despite the Pirates being the most frequently played opponent in the history of St. John’s women’s basketball, Friday’s match up between the two teams will mark a first for the two teams. With the Pirates ranked 23rd in the AP poll and the Red Storm receiving votes, this will be the first time that the two squads when both have a ranking of “RV” or better. Friday will also be the Red Storm’s first contest against a ranked team this season.

SCOUTING SETON HALL

In their second year under Head Coach Tony Bozzella, the Pirates are currently enjoying their best start in program history with a record of 13-1.

With a victory over No. 14/16 Georgia on Dec. 28, the Pirates picked up their first win over a ranked opponent since 2007.

Checking in at no. 23 in the latest Associated Press poll, Seton Hall is ranked for the first time since 1995.

With four players averaging double figures on the season, three Pirates are scoring in excess of 16.5 points, led by Tabatha Richardson-Smith. The junior from Bay City, Texas, tops the team with 17.2 per outing, while teammate Ka-Deidre Simmons ranks second on the squad at 16.6 per game. Simmons is a graduate of Malcolm X. Shabazz High School in Newark, the alma mater of Aliyyah Handford

ST. JOHN’S VS. SETON HALL – THE SERIES

Charter members of the BIG EAST, St. John’s and Seton Hall are the most frequently played opponents in the history of one another’s programs.

Recently, St. John’s has dominated the series history with the Pirates, coming away with a victory in 13 of their 14 last meetings. The Red Storm is 17-3 in its last 20 contests with Seton Hall.