Aaliyah Lewis. Photo by: Stacy Podelski/1495 Sports
One game out of first place in a wide-open BIG EAST, the St. John’s Red Storm will kick off a critical three-game road swing this weekend, beginning with a Friday evening showdown against Georgetown in our nation’s capital at 6 p.m.
RED STORM QUICK HITS
- A BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll selection for the third-straight week and the sixth time overall this season, Aliyyah Handford has been playing some of the best basketball of her career recently. Following back-to-back 25-point performances against DePaul and Marquette last weekend, Handford made it five-straight contests with 20 points or more and eight of her last nine overall. Nationally, the BIG EAST’s leading scorer ranks 26th in that category.
- One of the conference’s smallest players at just 5-5, Aaliyah Lewis more than makes up for her lack of size with unmatched speed and an unquantifiable toughness. In her first full season as the team’s starting point guard, Lewis is averaging 4.6 assists per contest, the fourth-highest total in the BIG EAST. Over the past several weeks, Lewis has also elevated her assist-to-turnover ratio above 2.0, giving her the fourth-best total in the conference in that category as well.
- On Sunday afternoon against Marquette, Danaejah Grant put up one of the best all-around performances of her career, tallying 15 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against the Golden Eagles. The Piscataway, N.J., native’s 11 boards tied a career-high that was set earlier this season against Providence. Grant’s six helpers surpassed a previous career-best of five set against Tennessee last season during the NCAA Tournament.
- The St. John’s career leader in rebounding, Amber Thompson continues to be one of the superior glass cleaners in the country, ranking in fourth in the NCAA at 11.8 boards per outing. Thompson broke the St. John’s career record in stunning fashion, pulling down 20 boards in a win over then no. 23 Seton Hall on Jan. 2. Her 20 rebounds were the third-highest single-game total in school history and the most in a contest since Shenneika Stevens grabbed 21 on Nov. 25, 2011 against Iowa.
SCOUTING GEORGETOWN
- The Georgetown Hoyas have struggled over the first half of the 2014-15 season, entering Friday’s contest with a record of 4-15 overall and 2-5 in conference.
- The Hoyas have lost each of their last three contests, all of which have been on the road.
- Georgetown features only one scorer in double figures, freshman standout Dorothy Adomako. In addition to leading the team at 12.6 points per game, the Midlothian, Va., native is also the squad’s top rebounder at 7.3 boards per contest.
ST. JOHN’S VS. GEORGETOWN – THE SERIES
- Charters member of the BIG EAST, Georgetown and St. John’s have met on 52 occasions since the 1980-81 season. The Hoyas currently hold a 27-25 advantage in the all-time series.
- The Red Storm has enjoyed some recent success against the Hoyas, taking four out of the last five contests played between the two schools.
- Before the recent surge for St. John’s, Georgetown took 13 out of 14 contests against the Red Storm from 1999-2009.
For more information on the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here: