PSAC Women's Basketball Athletes of the Week - 7 (Jan. 4)
PSAC Women's Basketball Weekly Release - Jan. 4 (pdf)
Bloomsburg sweeps both the PSAC East Player and Freshman of the Week awards this week, with Kelsey Gallagher claiming her second Player of the Week award of the year and Dana Wieller earning her fourth Freshman of the Week award of the season after the duo led the Huskies to a 2-1 record over the last week. Mercyhurst's Amy Achesinski led the Lakers to a 3-0 record over the last week and for her efforts, earns her first career PSAC West Player of the Week award. Edinboro's Samantha Blazetic is this week's PSAC West Freshman of the Week for the second time on the year.
PSAC Players of the Week - Jan. 4
PSAC East Player of the Week
Kelsey Gallagher, Bloomsburg
G, So., East Stroudsburg, Pa./ES South
Gallagher earns her second PSAC East Player of the Week award of the season after averaging 20.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a 2-1 week for the Huskies. Gallagher made an impressive 17-of-19 free throws (89.5 percent) for the week and also shot 43.8 percent (7-for-16) from three-point range. She dropped in a career-high 28 points in a loss to Goldey-Beacom last Tuesday, which was just Bloom’s second loss of the year. In that game, she shot 11-of-17 from the floor and also had nine rebounds. In a close win over Lock Haven, she scored 16 points and had eight rebounds, three steals and two assists in the 64-58 win. She also hit on a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe, including 4-for-4 in the final minute of the game. In a five-point win over Edinboro, Gallagher had 18 points, including 10 in the second half, and was 7-of-8 from the free throw line. She scored five of the Huskies’ final 11 point and also added eight boards, four assists and two steals.
PSAC East Freshman of the Week
Dana Wieller, Bloomsburg
G, Fr., Bethlehem, Pa./Liberty
Wieller earns her conference-best fourth PSAC Freshman of the Week award of the year after averaging 17.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in the Huskies’ 2-1 week. She hit on 9-of-23 three-point baskets (39.1 percent) and also on 10-of-14 from the free throw line (71.4 percent). She led Bloomsburg in scoring with 25 points, including 6-of-12 from three-point range, in the 64-58 win over Lock Haven and added six rebounds and two assists. Wieller also led the Huskies in scoring with 22 points, including 13 in the second-half, in Sunday’s come-from-behind 77-72 win over Edinboro. That included six boards and a 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line in the final minute of the game.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Amy Achesinski, Mercyhurst
F, Jr., Butler, Pa./Butler
Achesinski earns her first career PSAC West Player of the Week honor after averaging 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds, leading Mercyhurst in scoring in all three games last week in a 3-0 week for the Lakers. She began the week with a double-double, scoring 17 points and recording 12 rebounds in a non-conference road win at Madonna. Achesinski then went for 18 points and seven boards in a 70-56 win over Shippensburg, which including scoring 10 straight unanswered points late in the contest to break open a close game. She then finished out the week with 13 points and six rebounds and shot 7of-8 from the free throw line in a win over Cheyney. For the week, Achesinski made all three of her three-point attempts and shot 13-of-15 from the free throw line (86.7 percent).
PSAC West Freshman of the Week
Samantha Blazetic, Edinboro
F, Fr., Eastlake, Ohio/Eastlake North
Blazetic earns her second PSAC West Freshman of the Week award of the year, but her first since the second week of the season. She averaged 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a 1-1 week for the Fighting Scots. Her best game of the weekend came in ‘Boro’s win over Mansfield in which she had 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and three steals.
PSAC Team Notes
Bloomsburg Huskies
Bloomsburg went 2-1 since December 29, stretching its record to 8-2 this season…It is the Huskies best 10-game start since 2001-02 when they started 9-1, as they finished 21-6 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the PSAC tournament…BU dropped just its second game of the season to Goldey-Beacom, a 70-57 loss in which So. G Kelsey Gallagher scored a career-high 28 points…The Huskies bounced back this past weekend with victories over PSAC West foes Lock Haven and Edinboro…In the 64-58 win over Lock Haven, Fr. G Dana Wieller scored 25 points, connecting on 6-of-12 from three-point range and Fr. F Christine Sereta notched her first career double-double with 16 points and 10 boards…In the 77-72 win over Edinboro, the Huskies used big second halves from Gallagher (10 points), Wieller (13 points) and Sereta (7 rebounds, 3 blocks) to come back from a 12-point deficit.
California Vulcans
Cal U struggled to a 1-2 mark over the holiday break with its only win coming in a 10-point second-half comeback against West Chester, 77-65…Against the Golden Rams, senior guard Brooque Williams finished with 28 points (21 in the second half) and 14 rebounds…The Vulcans also had their 26-home game winning streak at Hamer Hall snapped with a last-minute 53-52 loss to Millersville on Sunday…In the loss to the Marauders, Cal U was out-rebounded by a staggering 48-28 margin after Millersville collected 29 offensive rebounds…Despite the poor rebounding numbers, the Vulcans shot 46.7 percent from the field for their best performance since Dec. 11…Jr. F Kayla Smith has registered nine double-doubles this season, including four-consecutive…Smith and Williams combined for only 20 points and 13 rebounds against the Marauders.
Cheyney Wolves
After starting the season 3-2, the Lady Wolves have dropped four straight and now stand at 3-6...In the two crossover losses this weekend, Cheyney lost both contests by a combined seven points...The Lady Wolves have struggled shooting the ball from behind the arc as well as the charity stripe...Cheyney is shooting 24% from long range and 57% from the foul line...Cheyney will take the week off to regroup before playing their first contest of the season in Cope Hall on Saturday afternoon...Cheyney will host California (PA) and Indiana (PA) this weekend.
Clarion Golden Eagles
Senior forward Sara Pratt recorded her 15th career double-double Saturday at East Stroudsburg. Clarion has 10 double-doubles on the year including two from Pratt…So. Courtney Healy twice set career highs for points during the week. First she scored 14 vs. Wheeling Jesuit in Daytona Beach, Fla., Monday before recording her first 20-point game of her career Sunday at Kutztown with 21…Lizzie Suwala had her third 20-point game of the year Sunday at Kutztown with 21 points and has now scored 15 or more points in nine games this season including in seven straight…Clarion's win over Catawba Tuesday gave the Golden Eagles a 5-game win streak fro the first time in two years.
East Stroudsburg Warriors
ESU beat Clarion for the second straight season after knocking off the 7-2 Golden Eagles, 66-64, on Saturday...No. 6 Gannon won 85-52 at Koehler Fieldhouse on Sunday...Sr. F DeAnna Rayam tied her career-high with 24 points, including 10 in the final 10 minutes, of the Warriors' comeback win over Clarion...Sr. G Mel Villano added 12 points and ESU was 8-for-17 from the 3-point line (season-best 47.1%)...So. F Jennifer Scherer (8 points, 9 rebounds) and Sr. C Alexa Detzi (4 points, 9 rebounds) helped ESU to a 44-35 advantage on the glass...Rayam (15.1 ppg) has hit double figures in all 11 games this season and leads ESU in rebounding (5.6 per game) and steals (30)...Villano (8.5 ppg) is shooting 43.8% from long distance and has 26 assists and 27 steals.
Edinboro Fighting Scots
Edinboro picked up its 13th straight win against PSAC West teams on Saturday with a 90-48 win at Mansfield. The streak finally came to an end the next day when the Fighting Scots suffered a 77-72 loss at Bloomsburg…Kelsey Conklin moved into tenth place in career scoring and eighth in career rebounds over the weekend. The senior forward's totals now stand at 1,337 points and 661 rebounds…Samantha Reimer needs 19 points to move into third place in career scoring. She currently has 1,634 points, placing her 19 points away from moving past Sarah Bishop for third place, and 212 points away from Jessica Rowe's career record of 1,846 points…Edinboro scored 90 points against Mansfield, marking the sixth time in ten games that the Fighting Scots scored 90-or-more points.
Gannon Golden Knights
Gannon improved to 14-0 for the first time in school history with three victories over St. Thomas Aquinas, Kutztown and East Stroudsburg since the last PSAC report...The Lady Knights were ranked sixth in the December 15 USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll...It marks the first time in school history Gannon has been in the top six in back-to-back polls. It also represents the second-highest national ranking in school history. The program was tabbed fifth on January 30, 2002...The Lady Knights have won 24 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...Carrie Nolan's streak of consecutive games with at least one three-pointer was snapped at 44 games Sunday at East Stroudsburg...Kristina Freeman recorded her second career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds at Kutztown.
IUP Crimson Hawks
IUP split its first two crossover games of the season, defeating Millersville and losing to West Chester over the weekend…Lacey Claar scored 19 points to lead four Crimson Hawks in double figures in a 67-54 victory over the Marauders and also paced IUP with 11 points in its 57-41 loss to the Golden Rams, just the team's third defeat in its past 27 crossover games…The 41 points versus West Chester is tied for the second lowest in school history…Julie Lozon played her first two games of the season after rehabbing a knee injury and scored 16 points in the two games, including three 3-pointers versus the Golden Rams…Prior to the loss to West Chester the Crimson Hawks had won five of their previous six games.
Kutztown Golden Bears
Kutztown is 4-0 on the road this season…The Golden Bears have not trailed in the second half of any away game this season…Chauntelle Schroeder grabbed 11 rebounds in the victory over Philadelphia…Kutztown made a season-high 11 3-pointers against Gannon…Vivian Melvin established her career scoring high in consecutive games against Philadelphia (17 points) and Gannon (18 points)…Melissa McQuade has scored in double figures in 15 straight games…The Golden Bears finished their nonleague schedule with a 7-2 record…Kutztown placed five players in double figures against Clarion…It's the first time since KU placed that many players in double digits since it had six against Wilmington in its opener…Seven of KU's victories were by double digits…Ashley Wood scored a career-high 16 points and handed out a career-high five assists against Clarion…Kutztown made a season-high 22 free-throws in its victory over Clarion…Vivian Melvin averaged 15.6 points per game during a 2-1 week.
Lock Haven Bald Eagles
Lock Haven went 0-2 last week as the Lady Eagles dropped back-to-back PSAC Crossover games on Saturday and Sunday at Bloomsburg and Mansfield, respectively...The Lady Eagles lost to Bloom 64-58 and fell to Mansfield 55-43 in a rematch of an early season contest...Back on December 2, LHU downed MU 67-56 at home...This weekend's action marked the first for LHU head coach Jennifer Smith's squad since Dec. 4 when The Haven was edged by Wilmington 74-71 at home...Kristen Kudrick leads the way for LHU with 12.4 points-per-game. She's also pulling in 6.4 rebounds/game and leads the team in blocks with six. So. Peaches Nesmith is second on the team in scoring with nine points-per-game.
Mansfield Mountaineers
The Mountaineers snapped a seven game losing skid with a 55-43 win over Lock Haven Sunday…So. F Mallory Moore has posted double-doubles in each of her last three games including a career-best 16 rebound performance in the win over Lock Haven…Fr. Julia Stevenson scored the Mountaineers final 10 points of the first half in the win over Lock Haven…She had scored 21 points over the first eight games of the season.
Mercyhurst Lakers
Mercyhurst continued its hot streak with a 3-0 week, winning at Madonna Wednesday before sweeping Shippensburg and Cheyney…The Lakers have won six straight, the longest streak since the 1999-2000 team won eight straight early in the season on the way to a 15-12 record…Amy Achesinski registered her third straight double-double Dec. 30 at Madonna, becoming the first Laker since Julie Anderson in Feb. 2006…Dana Banda posted 13 points and career highs with eight assists and six steals Saturday, Jan. 2 against Shippensburg, becoming the first Laker with a 10-5-5 game since Stephanie Prischak scored 26 points, and added six assists and five steals Jan. 3, 2009 vs. West Chester…Mercyhurst sank 11 threes against Cheyney, the third 10+ triple game this season…Achesinski is 27 points away from 1,000, and 10 rebounds away from 500...She would become the seventh Laker to amass 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.
Millersville Marauders
Millersville's offensive struggles continued, as it dropped games against UDC and IUP, extending its winless streak to three before turning it all around with a 53-52 upset of No. 10 California (Pa.) on Sunday afternoon…Sr. Raquel Green was a catalyst in Sunday's win, registering a 19-point, 16-rebound game. Green set new career-highs in total rebounds (16) and offensive rebounds (11) in the game. MU outrebound Cal 48-28 in the game and held a 24-1 advantage in second chance points. The win also snapped Cal's 26-game home unbeaten streak, which dated back to Feb. 6, 2008…The Marauders knocked off a ranked opponent on Jan. 3 for the second consecutive season. Last year they downed IUP, 54-42, at home, when the Crimson Hawks were ranked No. 8…R-Fr. Mashira Newman had seven steals in the win over Cal, marking the third time she's come up with seven or more steals in a game this season.
Shippensburg Red Raiders
Shippensburg (6-8) snapped a six-game losing streak with a big win on the road at Slippery Rock, 69-66…SU dropped WVIAC decisions to Charleston and West Virginia State as well as a PSAC crossover at Mercyhurst…Sr. Lauren Beckley tied the Shippensburg University record for career points and became just the ninth player in PSAC history to surpass 2,000 total points…Her current total of 2,057 points ties the mark held by Stacey Cunningham '84…Beckley also surpassed Shanna Oaddams '07 to move into second place on the school's all-time rebounding list (972)…Beckley had two double-doubles in four games this week and totaled 103 points during that span, chipping in at least 21 points in all four of SU's games this week…She needs 28 rebounds to become just the fifth player in PSAC history (and second Lady Raider) to achieve 2,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.
Slippery Rock - The Rock
Slippery Rock (3-8) went 1-1 last week in PSAC crossover action against Cheyney and Shippensburg. The 68-64 win against Cheyney snapped a three-game losing streak...Julie Molloy led The Rock with 17 points and Grace Palucis added a season-high 16 points shooting 80% from behind the arch...In the 69-66 loss to Shippensburg, Nikki Presto recorded a career-high 24 points shooting 10-14 from the floor, connecting on nine consecutive attempts and a perfect 3-3 from the foul line...Molloy finished the weekend averaging 16.5 points and five steals in 30.5 minutes...Head coach Laurel Heilman inches closer to the all-time coaching victories mark at SRU needing only three wins to surpass Dr. Anne Griffins 111 win mark set during the 1970-79 season.
West Chester Golden Rams
West Chester split its two PSAC crossover contests on the road with a 57-41 win at IUP that followed a 77-65 setback at Cal…Fr. F Alex Lennon tied a school record with seven blocked shots in the win at IUP…Lennon also picked up a pair of steals…She saw action in her first two games of the year coming off a preseason injury…Megan Stewart posted 12 points at IUP…She averages 12.2 points per game in five career contests against IUP…West Chester ended a four-game slide against IUP and won in Memorial Fieldhouse for the first time since December 2002…West Chester evened the overall series with IUP at 8-8.