After seeing a late lead slip away against Marquette on Wednesday, the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team will wrap up its four-game road swing at Providence on Saturday.
Tip-off from Alumni Hall is set for 1 p.m. on FloHoops, with Pam Roecker and Mike Mancuso on the call.
The Johnnies enter the contest looking to capture their first BIG EAST victory of the season. Despite failing to claim a win, the Red Storm has received a stellar effort from sophomore guard Leilani Correa during conference action, as the Manchester, N.J., native is averaging a team-best 26.0 points per game in league play. Overall, Correa leads the BIG EAST in scoring with 23.0 points per game through six contests, good enough to sit 20th overall in the NCAA. In addition to her scoring prowess, Correa also leads the league in steals during conference action, with 4.0 thefts per game.
On Wednesday against Marquette, Correa notched 31 points for her second 30-plus performance of the season and the fifth of her Red Storm career. The 6-foot guard became the first player in program history to record 30 or more points a combined five times. Since 2013-14, only two other BIG EAST players have recorded over 30 points at least five times in their career. Correa is currently tied with Creighton’s Jaylyn Agnew who had five over her time with the Bluejays. Seton Hall’s Tabatha Richardson-Smith leads the way with seven. Both Agnew and Smith were selected in the WNBA draft following their collegiate careers.
Despite the Johnnies’ setback to the Golden Eagles on Wednesday, the Red Storm crashed the glass, winning the battle of the boards, 37-33. This marked just the third time in 38 games that the Golden Eagles had been outrebounded by their opponent.
Saturday’s matchup will mark the 73rd all-time meeting between the Johnnies and the Friars, with St. John’s leading the all-time series, 40-32. The Friars and Red Storm split the series a season ago, with each team winning on its home court.
The Friars enter Saturday’s contest with an overall record of 3-4, including a 1-1 mark in conference action. Providence returns their top scorer from last year in Mary Baskerville. The junior forward currently leads the team with 12.9 points per game on a 59.7 percent shooting from the floor (43-of-72). Among other notable returners for the Friars include Kyra Spiwak, who sits second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game. Oliva Orlando has been a bright spot for the Friars this year, leading the team in assists with 3.6 per game. Orlando is also averaging 6.1 rebounds per contest to tie Baskerville for the most on the team.
After taking on Providence, the Red Storm will return home to Carnesecca Arena for the first time in over two weeks. The Johnnies will play their final non-conference matchup of the season on Dec. 22 against St. Bonaventure, with tip off slated for noon.
Also
The BIG EAST Conference released the remainder of the 2020-21 women’s basketball schedule on Friday afternoon.
The second portion of the schedule will begin in early January. Tip-off times and television coverage will be announced at a later date.
The Johnnies, who still have a pair of contests with Providence and St. Bonaventure prior to Christmas, will return to action on Jan. 6, welcoming Xavier to Carnesecca Arena. St. John’s will continue its two-game homestand on Jan. 9 with Butler.
Four days later, the Red Storm will make a trip to Chicago to take on DePaul on Jan. 13, before returning home to face Marquette on Jan. 17.
After taking on the Golden Eagles at Carnesecca Arena, the Red Storm will travel to South Orange, N.J., for a meeting with Seton Hall. Three days later, the Red Storm will welcome Creighton to Carnesecca Arena for a Saturday showdown on Jan. 23.
The Johnnies will kick off a two-game road swing at Villanova on Jan. 25, before traveling to Georgetown on Jan. 27. St. John’s will close out the month of January with Providence, as the Friars travel to Carnesecca Arena for a contest on Jan. 30.
St. John’s will swing into February with a matchup against charter BIG EAST member Connecticut. The two programs will face off on Feb. 3 at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion. Following its meeting with the Huskies, the Red Storm will pay a visit to the Cintas Center for a showdown with Xavier on Feb. 6.
After its two road contests, St. John’s will return home to Carnesecca Arena for a matchup with DePaul on Feb. 10. Three days later, the Johnnies will travel to the historic Hinkle Fieldhouse for a meeting with Butler.
After Saturday’s showdown with the Bulldogs, the Red Storm will welcome UConn back to the friendly confines of Carnesecca Arena on Feb. 17 for the first time since 2013.
The Johnnies will make their final road trip of the regular season on Feb. 20 for a matchup with Creighton.
St. John’s will wrap up its final two regular season games at home against Georgetown (Feb. 24) and Seton Hall (Feb. 27).
For more information on the St. John’s Athletics Department fans are encouraged to click on the link seen here:
Fan Cutout – St. John’s University Athletics – Official Athletics Website (redstormsports.com)