PSAC Women's Basketball Athletes of the Week - 8 (Jan. 11)
PSAC Women's Basketball Weekly Release - Jan. 11 (pdf)
Lauren Beckley of Shippensburg and Brooque Williams of California each earned their third PSAC Player of the Week awards of the season, Beckley in the Eastern Division and Williams out of the Western Division. Millersville's Mashira Newman, a one-time Player of the Week this year, earns her first East Freshman of the Week award of the season, while Edinboro's Samantha Blazetic earns her third West Freshman of the Week award of the year and her second straight.
PSAC Players of the Week - Jan. 11
PSAC East Player of the Week
Lauren Beckley, Shippensburg
F, Sr., Fairfield, Pa./Fairfield
Beckley averaged 22.0 points and 12.5 rebounds in a 1-1 week for Shippensburg and became the all-time leading scorer in school history in the process. The senior recorded 30 points and 18 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season and the 52nd of her career in helping the Lady Raiders to a win over IUP in Saturday, breaking the school record just 18 seconds into the contest. She also recorded 13 of her 18 boards in the second half. Beckley also had 14 points and seven rebounds in a loss to California on Sunday and moved into a tie for sixth place on the PSAC all-time scoring list. Beckley is also now just three rebounds shy of 1,000 in her career, which would make her just the fifth player in PSAC history with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
PSAC East Freshman of the Week
Mashira Newman, Millersville
G, Fr., North Hills, Pa./Upper Dublin
Newman, who earlier this year was honored as the PSAC East Player of the Week, earns her first career East Freshman of the Week award after averaging 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.5 steals in helping Millersville to a pair of wins over Slippery Rock and Mercyhurst last weekend. Newman, who has now scored in double figures in four straight games, scored 16 points, which included an 11-for-11 performance from the free throw line, and also had five rebounds and five assists in the win over The Rock. She also chipped in with 10 points and three rebounds, assists and steals in the win over Mercyhurst.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Brooque Williams, California
G, Sr., Pittsburgh, Pa./Perry
Williams earns her third PSAC West Player of the Week award of the season after averaging 25.0 points and 7.5 rebounds, which included her 10th career 30-point game, in helping lead California to a pair of victories last weekend. Williams also contributed 4.0 assists and 4.0 steals per game while shooting 57.1 percent from the floor (20-for-35) and 9-of-12 (75 pecent) from the free throw line. She opened the weekend with 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and four steals in an 80-66 Vulcan win over Cheyney. Williams then tallied 30 points on 13-of-21 shooting in a 77-57 win over Shippensburg, a game in which the Vulcans trailed by as many as 16 points before Williams scored 23 of her 30 points in the second half to spark a comeback.
PSAC West Freshman of the Week
Samantha Blazetic, Edinboro
F, Fr., Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North
Blazetic earns her second straight PSAC West Freshman of the Week award and her third overall on the season after she averaged 9.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in three games last week, all Edinboro wins. She also contributed 3.7 blocks per game and shot 77.8 percent (7-for-9) from the free throw line. She opened the week with 13 points, six rebounds and three blocks in a non-conference win over Concord. Blazetic then scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds while blocking five shots in a win over Kutztown and wrapped up the week with six points, six rebounds and three blocks in a win over East Stroudsburg.
PSAC Team Notes
Bloomsburg Huskies
Bloomsburg went 0-2 on its weekend trip to PSAC West foes Gannon and Clarion…The Huskies fell to the fourth-ranked Lady Knights 93-55 on Saturday afternoon…Fr. F Kayla Oxenrider scored 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting with three steals in 27 minutes while Fr. G Dana Wieller scored 11 points, shooting 3-of-8 from three-point range with three steals…BU dropped its second straight game, the first time all season, to Clarion 71-52 on Sunday…So. G Kelsey Gallagher scored 18 points, including 15 in the second half…Gallagher has won the PSAC East Player of the Week award twice so far this season after winning Freshman of the Week eight times in 2008-09…Three Huskies have combined to win East Freshman of the Week honors six times in the first seven weeks, with Wieller taking home the award four times.
California Vulcans
After losing two of their last three games, the Vulcans regained their stride with league crossover victories at Cheyney and Shippensburg…Against the Red Raiders, Cal U trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before mounting a 17-2 run to close the half trailing only 27-26…In the win over Shippensburg, Sr. G Brooque Williams scored 23 of her season-high 30 points in the second half…In the 77-57 victory at Shippensburg, the trio of Williams, Jr. F Kayla Smith and Sr. G Crystal Andrews accounted for 65 of the 77 points (81.3 percent) scored by the Vulcans…Williams enters PSAC West play only eight points shy of joining Lara Thornton and Sara McKinney as the only players in school history with 1,800 career points…Smith currently ranks 11th all-time in school history with 1,260 points.
Cheyney Wolves
For the first time this season, Cheyney played a game in Cope Hall. However, the Lady Wolves posted an 0-2 week falling to California (PA) 80-66 and IUP 78-66 and have now dropped six in a row...In the two games this past week the Lady Wolves were able to force 59 turnovers...All ready this season the Cheyney has forced 300 turnovers...Cheyney has also taken 70 shots more than their opponents...Three Lady Wolves are averaging double figures...Cheyney continues to be led by Angel Stephens. The senior is averaging 13.0 points per contest...Lutfiyya Muhammad is chipping in 12.5 points per contest...Angel Henderson is netting 10 points per game.
Clarion Golden Eagles
Clarion had a record-setting defense performance against Mansfield Saturday limiting the Mountaineers to 24 points, the lowest for an Eagle opponent in the shot-clock era and tied for the third fewest points allowed in school history. The previous low during the shot-clock era, ironically, happened 15 years to the day when Clarion held Cheyney to 31 points Jan. 9, 1995…Clarion had 12 blocked shot vs. Mansfield, tied for the 2nd most since 1982…Bethany Koch recorded her 5th double-double of the year and the 10th of her career Sunday vs. Bloomsburg while tying a career-high with 25 points…Jillian Taylor had a career-best 7 points Saturday…Rachel Graeff has 5 or more assists in 3 straight games and in 4 of 6 since taking over the starting PG spot…Clarion has held back-to-back opponents under 55 points for the 1st time since Dec. 2006.
East Stroudsburg Warriors
The Warriors fell to 2-11 with a pair of road losses this weekend, dropping games at Lock Haven (73-43) and Edinboro (75-53)...Sr. F DeAnna Rayam had her second career double-double at Edinboro with 20 points and career-high 16 rebounds...Rayam leads ESU in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (6.3 rpg), steals (35) and is tied for team lead in assists (26)...So. F Jennifer Scherer also added 13 points (tied career-high) and 8 rebounds at Edinboro and Sr. C Alexa Detzi had career-high 10 boards as ESU outrebounded its opponent for the fourth time this season...Detzi had seven blocks for the week (career-high four at Lock Haven)...She will be recognized as ESU's women's basketball scholar-athlete at the Lehigh Valley Small College Media Organization luncheon on Tuesday...ESU opens PSAC East action at Kutztown on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Edinboro Fighting Scots
The Fighting Scots improved to 9-4 with three wins this past week. The first was a 90-37 thrashing of a Concord team that came in to McComb Fieldhouse with a 7-1 record. Edinboro then won for the 15th time in the last 16 games against Eastern Division teams with a 66-52 win over Kutztown and a 75-53 win over East Stroudsburg. Those two wins marked the first times Edinboro had won without scoring 90 points…Samantha Reimer and Kelsey Conklin continued their assault on the record books. Reimer moved into third place in career scoring with 1,691 points, now needing 156 points to become the all-time leading scorer. She also moved into seventh place in career assists (395), and after breaking the school record for career free throws made last year, she set the career record for free throws attempted vs. Kutztown, now standing at 654. She has made 548…Conklin jumped into eighth place in career scoring (1,364) and eighth place in career rebounds (673).
Gannon Golden Knights
Gannon improved to 16-0 for the first time in school history with a PSAC crossover sweep of Bloomsburg (93-55) and Mansfield (76-39) at home...The Lady Knights were ranked fourth in the January 5 USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. It represents the highest national ranking in school history...The Lady Knights have won 26 consecutive regular-season games dating back to last season...The program's last regular-season loss was a 65-52 setback at Indiana (Pa.) on January 24, 2009...Gannon defeated Mansfield despite no player reaching double digits in scoring. It was the first time under head coach Cleve Wright the program has accomplished that feat...The Lady Knights have won 13 games this season by double digits, including six by 33 points or more...Gannon has won 33 consecutive games when leading at halftime...The Lady Knights have won 17 of their last 18 homes games.
IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP split its final two crossover games of the season, losing at Shippensburg before ending a brief two-game skid with a 78-66 victory at Cheyney...Sr. Hillary Shope had her first career double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in the win over the Wolves...The 21 points were two shy of her career best set versus California two years ago...Lacey Claar made five 3-pointers over the weekend and moved into a tie for third in school history with 117 in her career...Five Crimson Hawks reached double figures versus Cheyney, including a combined 21 by freshmen Brianna Johnson (11) and Sarah Pastorek (10)...That duo along with Eryn Withers, who finished with 16 points, combined to score 28 of IUP's 41 second half points to help the Crimson Hawks pull away from what was just a three-point halftime lead.
Kutztown Golden Bears
Melissa McQuade has scored in double figures in 17 straight games…Kutztown completed its non-conference portion of its schedule with nine victories…The Golden Bears limited Lock Haven to 19 points in the second half…Vivian Melvin has averaged 13.7 points over KU's last six games…Rachel Wisemiller has made at least four 3-pointers in five games…Ashley Wood scored 10 of Kutztown's 17 bench points in the victory at Lock Haven…Kutztown limited Edinboro to 66 points, 21 below its PSAC-leading average entering the game…Kutztown is 5-1 on the road and has not trailed in any of its five victories…No KU player has scored 20 or more points in any game this season…The victory at Lock Haven was KU's first at Thomas Fieldhouse in its last four visits…Wisemiller leads the Golden Bears with 31 3-pointers…Kutztown has started the same five players in all 13 games.
Lock Haven Bald Eagles
Lock Haven went 2-1 last week...Lock Haven picked up a non-conference win on the road at Washington Adventist before returning home to down East Stroudsburg...The win over ESU made it two in a row for LHU, but the Lady Eagles lost to Kutztown 71-50 on Sunday afternoon in PSAC Crossover action. LHU is 5-6 on the year. Kristen Kudrick (Harrison City, Pa./Penn Trafford) leads all scores for Lock Haven with 11.4 points/game. Senior-guard Casi Donelan (Fairfax, Va./Goldey-Beacom College) is nearly double digits scoring a game with 9.3 points/game. She also leads the team in assists with 38.
Mansfield Mountaineers
The Mountaineer women had a tough week putting points on the board in a 65-24 loss at Clarion and 76-39 setback at Gannon…The 24 points were the fewest in a game by a Mountaineer team since the program was established in 1976.
Mercyhurst Lakers
The Lakers concluded non-conference play with a 1-1 weekend of crossover play, downing West Chester 67-60 before falling 69-40 at Millersville…The Lakers posted a season-best 16 steals at WCU, a team high under Coach Richard, extending their winning streak to seven games, the longest streak since the 1999-2000 season...Amy Achesinski broke the 1,000 point and 500 rebound barriers Jan. 10 at Millersville, becoming the 16th player to score 1,000 points and eighth with 1,000 points and 500 boards in program history…She reached 1,000 in her 66th game, fourth fastest in program history…the Lakers finished 4-1 against PSAS East foes, and went 8-4 overall in non-divisional contests…Mercyhurst opens PSAC West play Wednesday at Slippery Rock, a rematch of the Lakers' first PSAC West game, Jan. 14, 2009, which MC took 80-66 behind hot shooting…The Lakers' 80 points against SRU were the most by the team in divisional play last season.
Millersville Marauders
The Marauders needed a big weekend to build upon their upset win over then-No. 10 California last Sunday, and they got it behind two solid all-around outings. Millersville downed Slippery Rock, 72-53, on Saturday, before holding Mercyhurst to its lowest scoring output of the season in a 69-40 victory on Sunday…Sr. Raquel Green netted her second straight 19-point game in Saturday's win…Green and Fr. Mashira Newman were double-figure scorers in each game this weekend, and both have now hit that mark in four consecutive games…Newman was a perfect 11-of-11 at the charity stripe against Mercyhurst, as she became just the second MU player to shoot 100-percent, on 10-plus attempts, since 2003 (Gladine St. Julien, 10-of-10, 2008-09)…MU's PSAC-leading defense came into the weekend allowing just 53 points per game and bettered that by giving up just 46.5 per game in its two wins…Sr. Jenna Craig recorded her 16th career double-double and 29th career double-figure rebound game against The Rock.
Shippensburg Red Raiders
Shippensburg (7-9) earned a key victory over IUP before coming up short in a potential upset bid against nationally-ranked California…Sr. F Lauren Beckley became the all-time leading scorer in SU history and has compiled 2,103 career points through 99 games…Beckley tied IUP alum Jahzinga Tracey for sixth place and is just 16 points short of Cal forward Sara McKinney for fifth place in PSAC history...She is just three rebounds short of becoming the fifth player in PSAC history to achieve 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds...Beckley has recorded 52 career double-doubles and has averaged 21.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per game...Beckley has also posted double figures in all but four games during her career but needs to reach the postseason to tie Ashley Totedo's school record of 110 games with 10+ points…Jr. Kasey Gardner is just 19 points short of 1,000 for her career.
Slippery Rock - The Rock
Slippery Rock (3-10) finished PSAC crossover play 1-3 after a heartbreaking 65-62 loss at West Chester...Julie Molloy scored a career-high 25 points in the loss and averaged 23 points last weekend against the Rams and Millersville...SRU averages 62.7 points per game entering conference play Wednesday against Mercyhurst...Molloy leads the way averaging 12.8 points per game...Nikki Presto averages 11.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (5.8 per game) steals (20) and assists (4.0 per game)...Alex Beatty ranks in the top 20 in the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 47.8% from behind the arch, and Bethany Caudill averages eight points per game in 25.6 minutes per game.
West Chester Golden Rams
West Chester split its two PSAC crossover contests at home with a 67-60 setback to Mercyhurst, followed by a 65-62 victory over Slippery Rock…The Golden Rams also defeated Wilmington, 82-64 in a non-league mid-week game…West Chester is now 9-3 and off to its best start heading into conference play since the 2000-01 campaign when the Golden Rams won their first 10 tilts and opened the year 11-1…Renata Neal posted a double-double in the win over Slippery Rock with 10 points and 11 rebounds…Neal also blocked a career-best four shots in the win…Fr. F Alex Lennon scored a game-high 13 points off the bench…40 of West Chester's 65 points in the win over The Rock were in the paint…The Rams got to the free throw line just nine times in the loss to Mercyhurst…Megan Stewart registered six steals in the win over SRU.