Aiming to think pink, the St. John 's University 's women 's basketball team is helping the fight against breast cancer with a fundraiser on Saturday at the Jamaica Estates campus.

For the first time, the team is participating in the Women 's Basketball Coaches Association 's Think Pink campaign to raise funds for breast cancer research.

I am really excited about the day and I am really looking forward to it, said Coach Kim Barnes Arico.

The program will begin with a Women in Sports clinic from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and is open to children 13 and younger. The event is free, but participants must first sign up by calling 1-888-GO-STORM and buy a $3 ticket to the afternoon game.

At the clinic, youngsters will get pointers from St. John 's coaches and athletes in various sports including volleyball, soccer and softball. Check-in begins at 10 a.m.

Following the sports clinic, participants can go to the Carnesecca Arena to watch the women 's team take on Big East rival Marquette at 2 p.m. The reduced price ticket of $3 has been announced for all attending.

At halftime, special guest Lisa Leslie Lockwood, of the Los Angeles Sparks, will honor breast cancer survivors. Several promotional items will be given out during the game, including Think Pink T-shirts, wrist bands and other pink items, to signify the fight against breast cancer.

There will also be donation boxes in the lobby of the sports arena to collect donations for the American Cancer Society throughout the remainder of the women 's basketball season.

People who cannot attend the game may make a donation to the fight against breast cancer by visiting the WBCA Web site at www.wbca.org.

Keith Hudson, spokesman for the American Cancer Society in Manhattan, said last week that his organization is grateful that St. John 's got involved this year. He believes it 's the only college in Queens that participates.

Although cancer awareness month is in October, the WBCA does its part during the women 's basketball season, he said, noting the reason for the disparity.

According to statistics from the cancer society, female breast cancer victims account for 14.3 percent of all cancer cases and 9.2 percent of all cancer deaths in Queens. Leading types of cancer in the borough are lung and prostate, followed by breast and colorectal cases.

But statistics show the annual incidence rates in Queens have decreased by 9.1 percent since 1990-1994, as have the mortality rate, by 21.7 percent over the same time period.

People wanting more information on programs by the American Cancer Society can log onto the Web site at www.cancer.org.