By Marc Raimondi
“Maybe this is not my last game,” Wright said. “We still have a chance to keep playing, so hopefully this is not the way I end my career at St. John's.”St. John's (16-14) has a record above .500, two wins over ranked teams (North Carolina State and Notre Dame) and an RPI in the 40s. The Red Storm could very well gain a berth into the WNIT and they'll find out next week if their season continues.Wright certainly hopes so. In 2005-06, she was a driving force behind the Red Storm's first NCAA tournament run in almost two decades. The Copiague, L.I., native will go down as one of the best players in St. John's history. But against Louisville (22-8) she was 0-of-8 from the field and finished with as many points (three) as turnovers (three).Ironically, the Red Storm were done in by a player who committed to play for the Jamaica school originally. After St. John's cut its deficit to four, former Big East Player of the Year and All-American Angel McCoughtry scored 15 of Louisville's next 17 points. McCoughtry scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half after sitting out the last 10 minutes of the first half in foul trouble.Scoring wasn't all McCoughtry did either. She had five steals, including two on consecutive plays in a stretch that saw Louisville's lead grow to 57-42 with three minutes left.”You don't become an All-American if you're not able to do that,” St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico said. “She's just a phenomenal player; she's unbelievable. I've watched her play for a long time. She's always been able to do that. She's a special kid. She has shown, once again, why she is an All-American.”Barnes Arico is pretty familiar with McCoughtry. The junior committed to St. John's out of St. Francis HS in Baltimore, Md. McCoughtry didn't qualify out of high school, though, and spent one year prepping at The Patterson School (N.C.). Somewhere in between, she changed her mind and chose Louisville as her college destination.Reach Associate Sports Editor Marc Raimondi by e-mail at mraimondi@timesledger.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 130.
