With the Golden Eagles' brief-but-bitter two game skid behind them and a weekend date with Louisville that could make or break their bid for a first-round Big East tournament bye looming ahead, a home-and-home with struggling St. John's (7-15. 3-8 Big East) might seem like a welcome late-season breather.

But five games under .500 or otherwise, conference opponents are conference opponents, and head coach Terri Mitchell said she won't be looking for anything to come easily when the Red Storm show up at the Al McGuire center tonight.

St. John's has "actually been playing really well lately," Mitchell said. "They had some injuries early in the season, but they've come out strong lately and played some great games."

Mitchell's assessment may have been a bit generous – the Red Storm have dropped three straight by margins of 13, 16 and 24, but St. John's did post a 76-69 win at conference power Pittsburgh (19-5, 7-4) last month and still boasts a potent backcourt tandem in senior Kia Wright and sophomore Monique McLean.

Together, the pair has been good for 30.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in conference play. Wright also has averaged 6.1 assists per game and leads the team in steals in Big East games, despite missing six games because of an injury.

"(Wright) can just do it all," Mitchell said. "She can score, she can penetrate, she can shoot from the outside, she's got great court vision.

"They've got great athleticism. They can really push the ball at you. We've got to watch them driving down the middle, and we've got to stay active in the passing lanes."

Senior Christina Quaye said keeping St. John's off the charity stripe – the Red Storm have attempted 96 more free throws than their opponents this season – will be a focus for the Golden Eagles.

"They shoot a lot of free throws, so play good straight-up defense," Quaye said. "You need a lot of active hands and deflections, you know, trying to sprint out and get to the right places."

On the other end of the floor, Marquette (20-4, 8-3) will look to keep Quaye rolling. After posting 20 points and nine rebounds as the lone bright spot in the Feb. 3 loss to Connecticut, the forward lit up Georgetown for 27 points in Saturday's win, going 8-12 from the field and 10-10 from the foul line.

"She's playing the way you expect a senior to play this time of year, coming out really focused and really driven," Mitchell said. "I really think she's at her best when she just gets out there in the flow of the game."

Quaye stressed that her success is simply part of a team effort.

"We've just got to come out (tonight) with a lot of fight and intensity," she said. "It's about everybody being on the same page."

In last season's two wins against St. John's, Quaye scored 33 points. If she can show up tonight with more of the same, Marquette might be able to breathe a little easier.