Off to its best start since 2014-15, the St. John’s Women’s Basketball team will kick-off conference play at Butler on Friday night.
The Red Storm and Bulldogs are set to tip-off from historic Hinkle Fieldhouse at 7 p.m. The contest will be streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports with Johnny Soper and Garrett Butcher on the call.
The Johnnies will arrive in Indianapolis with a 6-0 record on the year coming off a pair of hard-fought wins at the Las Vegas Invitational. On Nov. 25, St. John’s held a then-top 20 scoring offense in-check and battled out a 61-57 over Memphis. The following day, the squad halted a late-game run from UTSA to seal a 69-64 win at The Mirage.
St. John’s is led by a pair of talented scoring guards Kadaja Bailey and Jayla Everett, who have found their groove offensively in the early going. Bailey leads the team averaging 15.2 points per game, shooting 49.3 percent from field-goal range. Everett follows just behind averaging 14.5 points a contest. The redshirt senior has been sharp from downtown, shooting 39.5 percent from long range. In the win over Memphis, the Pittsburgh transfer led all scorers with 16 points and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe.
The defense has played a crucial role in the Johnnies success, not allowing an opponent to score over 65 points through six games. The group is currently holding the opposition to just 52.8 points per game, which ranks first in the conference and 25thnationally.
Butler enters conference competition with a 4-2 record and are riding a three-game winning streak, its longest since the 2019-20 season A new-look roster, five of the top-six scorers for the Bulldogs are newcomers, led by IUPUI transfer Rachel McLimore who is averaging a team-high 12.5 points per game.
The Red Storm have taken the last five meetings from its conference foe. Last year, St. John’s defeated Butler, 73-61, on Feb. 9, 2022. Forward Rayven Peeples posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 boards in the road win.
In his 11th year at the helm, Head Coach Joe Tartamella is 6-4 in conference opener’s. Last year, the Red Storm picked up an 88-75 victory over Seton Hall in its league opener on Dec. 5, 2021.
Following Friday’s game, the Johnnies will have a quick turnaround as they welcome no. 13/14 Creighton to Carnesecca Arena on Sunday at 2 p.m.
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