BIG EAST WEEKLY: Weathering the Storm in Queens

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The Red Storm are RECORD and lost a tough one to Marquette over the weekend. Hear what head coach Joe Tartamella said about Sunday’s loss.

“I was disappointed in our ability and effort there to finish the game … when you give up 42 rebounds, the second-chance points are just debilitating. It was hard for us to manufacture points today and I credit them. Now we move on to the next one.” ~

We’re going to break down the St. John’s season through January in the next section.

But first, congratulations to Geno Auriemma, who became the second-winningest coach in NCAA Women’s Basketball history, passing the late, great Pat Summitt. Tara VanDerveer is in first place.

Alexa Philippou grabbed an amazing quote from the Huskies head coach to honor the occasion:

There was also plenty of sass on SNY:

St. John’s falters late on Sunday against Marquette

St. John’s dropped to 1-5 in BIG EAST play after a 72-61 loss to Marquette on Sunday. There were some bright spots that kept SJU in the game.

• Qadashah Hoppie led her squad with 15 points in limited minutes

• Leilani Correa picked up her third double-double of the season, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles were better on the boards and outrebounded St. John’s, 42-24. Losing the battle on the boards led to a whopping 33 points awarded to Marquette off second chance points and fast break opportunities.

Tartamella also hinted that a lack of hustle and focus might have also been a factor:

“You have to have a mentality where you have shot balance and you are recovering and have a point of attack in transition defense where you are able to dictate which side you want the ball on.

You would think if you aren’t rebounding, you would be able to get back, however, we didn’t do that today. They ran their lanes and they played hard. We allowed vision and I thought we struggled to match and communicate in the half-court as they got over, so that is a tough way to play.”

This is a tough two-game skid for the Red Storm ahead of a road game against Villanova on Monday (Saturday’s game against Creighton was postponed as the Bluejays have extended their COVID pause). The Wildcats are 3-2 in conference play.

The Roundup:

Honoring MLK, Reemphasizing #BlackLivesMatter

Across the BIG EAST, teams found ways to elevate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and to honor the message on their conference-wide patches: Black Lives Matter.

“The experience of last night’s event was a real eye opener. It allowed me to learn and share like experiences with other Black athletes. This injustice that we face is unacceptable in this day and age, but I’m glad that the future looks brighter in the BIG EAST Conference.” 

~Georgetown freshman guard Yasmin Ott

“Tonight’s zoom call was about bringing unity and change. Having two teams that are going to play each other come together, set the competitiveness aside and converse with one another to better our society and bring about change is one of the most powerful things I’ve been ever apart of.” 

~Marquette junior forward Chloe Marotta

#BIGEASTWeekly Awards

And the winners are…

Player of the Week 

Andra Espinoza-Hunter

Freshman of the Week 

Kelsey Ransom

Weekly Honor Roll
Okako Adika, Butler, Jr., G/F

Sonya Morris, DePaul, Jr., G

Selena Lott, Marquette, Sr., G

Qadashah Hoppie, St. John’s, Sr., G