BY JOSEPH STASZEWSKI
From awful Morgan State at home to No. 6 Rutgers at the RAC.
Good Luck.
The St. John’s women's basketball game had a cushy 97-56 win against Morgan State at Carnesecca Arena last Sunday. It may be the last time the team is that comfortable for the rest of the season.
Rutgers awaits them in its Big East opener Saturday at 8 p.m.
“I've been warning them, that Baylor was a little bit of a test,” coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “Baylor put pressure on our offense and forced us into a lot of turnovers. Rutgers is one of the best, if not the best defensive team in the country. How are we going to respond to that?”
Well, lets look at some history.
The Red Storm is 1-1 against ranked opponents this season. They beat then-No. 24 ranked NC State, 60-55, but were rolled over by then-No. 11 Baylor 80-59.
No.6 Rutgers lost to Tennessee in the national final last year and so far this season has beaten LSU and California and lost by five to No. 12 Duke in Durham.
Answer: This one could be ugly.
Forward Kia Vaughn will again pose problems for St. John’s. The Red Storm has not had a legitimate inside presence since Danielle Chamber graduated and Angela Clark left for personal reasons. Tiina Sten, Joy McCorvey and Recee Mitchell will struggle. Vaughn is averaging 8.8 points per game and 8.4 rebounds.
St. John’s has a excellent front court in Kia Wright, Monique McLean and Sky Lindsay. Rutgers is a bit better. The Scarlet Knight boost senior New Jersey products, Essence Carson and Mantee Ajavon and former Murry Bergtraum star, Epiphanny Prince.
Rutgers has dominated St. John’s over the team’s 32 meetings.
Rutgers 29
St. John’s 3
A win would be a historical one, arguably the best in program history, but the outcome is likely to be more pain at the RAC.