Aaliyah Lewis. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports
Following a tough overtime loss to the defending conference champions on Friday afternoon, the St. John’s Red Storm will look to get back to its winning ways when it hosts Marquette on Sunday afternoon in Carnesecca Arena. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on ESPN3 with Ralph Bednarczyk and D.J. Sixsmith on the call.
RED STORM QUICK HITS
- Friday’s game against the DePaul was an historical affair for St. John’s women’s basketball, as 5.602 fans packed Carnesecca Arena for the program’s first-ever sold-out home game. The contest served as the Red Storm’s annual Field Trip Day, with thousands of local school children coming to campus to cheer on the Red Storm.
- Against the Blue Demons, Aliyyah Handford led the Red Storm with 25 points and Danaejah Grant added 23, marking the third time this season that both members of that dynamic duo have each scored 20 or more in the same game. Handford’s 25 points bumped her season average to 20.1 ppg, the best in the BIG EAST and the 28th-highest in the nation. At 18.0 ppg, Grant sits in third place in the conference behind DePaul’s Brittany Hrynko. The junior guards are the fourth-highest scoring pair of teammates in the nation with a combined 38.1 ppg. On the season, Handford has scored 20 or more points 10 times, while Grant has accomplished that feat on six occasions.
- Starting point guard Aaliyah Lewis has been excelling in her first full season in that role, averaging 4.8 assists per contest. The Staten Island, N.Y., native ranks fourth in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.0, in addition to averaging 5.9 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Since the Red Storm’s home win over no. 23 Seton Hall on Jan. 2, Lewis is averaging 6.8 assists per contest, highlighted by a career-high nine helper effort against no. 2 UConn in the Maggie Dixon Classic.
- Senior forward Amber Thompson continues to be one of the nation’s most prolific rebounders, currently ranking fourth in the NCAA with 12.0 boards per contest. The Newark, N.J., native raised her average following her 14-rebound outing against DePaul, the sixth game this season in which Thompson corralled at least 14 boards.
SCOUTING MARQUETTE
- Marquette enters Sunday’s contest ranked last in the BIG EAST, having dropped each of its first league games and sporting an overall record of 4-13.
- The Golden Eagles feature two scorers in double figures, led by Kenisha Bell at 14.6 points per game. Arlesia Morse, the leading free throw shooter in the BIG EAST at 90.3 percent, is right behind Bell at 13.5 ppg.
- Marquette has allowed the most points of any BIG EAST squad this season, surrendering over 79 points per contest.
ST JOHN’S VS. MARQUETTE – THE SERIES
- Conference foes since the 2005-06 season, Marquette and St. John’s have played one another 12 times over the course of their series history, with the Golden Eagles holding an 8-4 advantage over the Red Storm.
- St. John’s has had more success recently against Marquette, taking two out of the last three contests between the two teams.
- The Golden Eagles won the first four games of the series history from 2005-07.
For more information on the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: