ladyswish

Way to go No. 11 (that's CNU's Schweers)!

2012-02-11T21:00:00.001-05:00

We're thrilled that Chelsie Schweers finally got her No. 11 jersey (that was her lucky number at Christopher Newport), and we're happier that she scored 15 for Panathinkaikos, a winner on Saturday. Don't forget to check out her blog on CNU's website on Monday (we hear she's tickled to finally get that DVD player running).

On a side note, we only wish her Lady Captains would have come out winners, too. Greensboro College spoiled a magnificent rally by the Captains with a 35-footer at the buzzer. Final score of 57-54 knocks CNU out of first in the USA South Conference.

Liberty, Richmond, Hampton, Radford continue win streaks

2012-02-11T20:41:00.001-05:00

Reagan Miller

Saturday's results:

Liberty 77, Charleston Southern 69 2 OT
The magic number would be 23. That's 23 points from freshman Reagan Miller and 23 rebounds from Avery Warley -- both career marks. Miller forced overtime with a three-pointer with 53 seconds left in regulation. Charleston Southern's Rachelle Coward then pushed the game to a second extra session, making three free throws with four seconds remaining in OT. Danika Dale's 3 finally notched the win for Liberty (16-7, 11-1), now on a 10-game win streak. Charleston Southern has lost the last 18 to the Lady Flames. It was the first double OT game for Liberty in eight years. And Liberty received an extra bonus when Campbell thumped suddenly reeling High Point 89-68. The Lady Flames now lead the Big South by a full two games over second-place Panthers, who have dropped their last three games.

Hampton 68, Norfolk State 46
Something about the Spartans brings out the best in the Pirates from long range. Last time the teams met Hampton dumped 13 3-pointers on the Spartans (HU won 92-43); on Saturday it was 11. Eight of them were courtesy of Choicetta McMillian, who scored 28 to help Hampton improve to 18-4, 10-1 in the MEAC. NSU trailed by nine midway through the second half before a 13-0 Hampton run put this one in the sack. Melanie Warner scored 21 points with 10 boards for Hampton; Tyisha Bridges led the Spartans (9-14, 4-8) with 11. HU's Jericka Jenkins, averaging 8 assists, dished out 11. The victory, coupled with Howard's 68-61 decision over previously conference unbeaten Florida A&M, moved Howard into a first-place tie with FAMU (17-6, 10-1) atop the MEAC standings. Florida A&M and Hampton will meet for the only time this regular season on Feb. 25 in Tallahassee.

Richmond 63, George Washington 51
Hot start? We'll say. The Spiders opened the game going 10-of-10, and the Colonials never recovered. The win gave the Spiders (19-5, 7-3 Atlantic 10) the series sweep and kept their own win streak alive at eight. Saturday's game featured a matchup between two multi-sport athletes in Division I: Spider Becca Wann (basketball, soccer) and Colonial Jamie Armstrong (basketball, volleyball). (Wann got the better of the matchup, blocking one of Armstrong's shots and finishing with 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. In Armstrong's first collegiate game, she scored two with three blocks and three boards. Richmond spread around the love: Rachael Bilney had 15, Abby Oliver 11 and Genevieve Okoro 10 off the bench. The Spiders are now in sole possession of fourth place in the Atlantic 10 as Charlotte (15-10, 7-4) dropped a half game back after getting blitzed by Duquesne 81-55. Fourth place is an important spot for the Spiders to hang onto as the top four teams receive first-round byes in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.

Radford 55, Coastal Carolina 43
The Highlanders (13-10, 7-5 Big South) ended the first half on a 17-2 run and coasted to their sixth straight victory. The streak, fueled by 14 points from Ashley Buckhannon, is the longest since the 2006-07 season. That Radford defense we love to brag about limited the Chanticleers to just 27 percent shooting in both halves. Da'Naria Erwin Spencer added 10 for Radford with six assists.

VCU's Q a force in Euroleague

2012-02-11T01:08:00.003-05:00

VCU's Q, playing in Hungary, is on a roll.

Noted Laszlo Vinko Group in its recent recap of the Euroleague season:

Quanitra Hollingsworth (Uni Seat Gyor) proved this year that she is one of the most dominant players in the Euroleague. The American center recorded six double-doubles with 14.8 ppg and 10.1 rpg (second best in the Euroleague) while on the defense end had many blocked shots. She was a feared force.

Q, by the way is second in rebounding in the league to Cheryl Ford (12.2 rpg) and 15th in scoring (Diana Taurasi leads with 21 ppg. She also boasts the No 3 FG percentage in the league at 61.8 percent and her six double-doubles is tops in the league.

ODU's Noelle in the "House"

2012-02-10T21:30:00.002-05:00

Yep, that's Noelle Movement (the former Nicole Bellinghausen, an Old Dominion forward) with "House" actor Hugh Laurie. Noelle has filmed another segment of the popular TV drama and promises to tell us when it airs.

CAA Thursday: JMU moves into 2nd place; VCU roars past reeling Hofstra

2012-02-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

Thursday's results:

JMU 56, Drexel 51 (OT): Tarik Hislop hit a game-tying jumper with 1:17 left in regulation and scored 8 of her game-high 22 points in overtime as the Dukes (18-5, 9-3 CAA) moved into sole possession of second place in the CAA race. JMU began the day tied with Hofstra, which lost at VCU. Hislop was a combined 4 for 37 from the field in the Dukes previous two games. But shooters keep shooting, and the junior guard made 8 of 22 in this one and was particularly strong with the game on the line. The Dukes prevailed despite a 10-for-25 effort from the free throw line. But at least they went to the line. Drexel did not attempt a free throw until there were only 52 seconds left in overtime and finished 1 of 2 from the line for the game. The Dragons (11-11, 7-5) also made just 30.6 percent of their shots and were outrebounded 59-41. The loss was Drexel's third straight at home; JMU improved to 7-1 since its 60-43 home loss to the Dragons on Jan. 12 in the teams' first meeting..

VCU 76, Hofstra 60: Here come the Rams? Could be, after the Rams (14-9, 7-5 CAA) notched their third victory in four games. Furthermore, while Hofstra appears to have hit a wall of late, this is by far the best team VCU has beaten all season. A big second half did the trick for the Rams, who trailed by three points at halftime before outscoring the Pride 51-28 the rest of the way. Andrea Barbour scored 21 of her game-high 26 points in the second half, and Courtney Hurt got 15 of her 20 after the break. Hurt also hauled down 15 rebounds to spearhead an effort that resulted in the Rams enjoying a 53-40 advantage on the boards. Shante Evans had 13 points and 7 rebounds for Hofstra (16-7, 8-4), which shot just 31 percent from the field. In the big picture, this loss pretty much ends the CAA's dream of putting three teams in the NCAA Tournament since back-to-back losses severely weakens Hofstra's case for an at-large bid. The Pride is just 3-4 in its last seven games and now finds itself in the same boat as every other conference team save Delaware and possibly JMU - win the CAA tournament title or settle for the WNIT, at best.

George Mason 75, Northeastern 62: Taleia Moton scored 16 points to lead four players in double figures as the Patriots (12-11, 6-6 CAA) won for the fifth time in seven games. Amber Easter recorded her fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, Rahneeka Saunders also scored 14 points and Janaa Pickard chipped in 11 points and 8 rebounds for the Patriots, who led 35-32 at halftime and gradually pulled away over the final 20 minutes. Christine Huber had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Northeastern (4-19, 2-10). But the Huskies played without sophomore forward Jewel Tunstull (12.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg), the team's leading rebounder. Not sure of the reason she didn't play yet, but the Patriots certainly exploited her absence as they outrebounded the Huskies 43-31 and scored 19 second-chance points thanks to 22 offensive boards.

No. 12 Delaware 76, Old Dominion 63: Elena Delle Donne had 27 points, 15 rebounds and 3 blocks as the Blue Hens (21-1, 12-0 CAA) won their 11th straight. Delaware expanded a 10-point halftime lead to 23 with 13:30 remaining. But the Lady Monarchs fought back thanks in large part to freshman guard Myeisha Hall, who hit 3 3-pointers and scored all 14 of her points in the second half to help ODU cut the deficit to eight. But because the Blue Hens don't turn it over (just 13 for the game) and make their free throws (the Division I leaders 20 of 26 from the line Thursday), this is an extremely difficult team to rally all the way back against. Tia Lewis had 15 points and 9 rebounds and Jackie Cook added 11 points and 8 boards for ODU (8-16, 5-7).

Towson 56, William and Mary 50: Another close loss for the Tribe (9-14, 2-10 CAA), which dropped its third straight game by seven points or less. Six of William and Mary's CAA losses have come in this fashion. The Tribe came in averaging 71.1 points per game but didn't get the typical offensive production from leading scorer Janine Aldridge and Taysha Pye. Aldridge came in averaging 14.8 points but scored just 5 on 2 of 10 shooting in 25 minutes. Pye, who averaged 13.4, missed all six of her shots and didn't score at all while playing just 9 minutes off the bench. Deree Fooks and Krystal Parnell each scored 13 points to pact Towson (14-9, 5-7), which also beat William and Mary 77-75 on Jan. 12 in Baltimore.

Other CAA score

UNC Wilmington 72, Georgia State 69

CAA standings
Delaware 12-0 21-1
James Madison 9-3 18-5
Hofstra 8-4 16-7
UNC Wilmington 8-4 15-8
VCU 7-5 14-9
Drexel 7-5 11-11
George Mason 6-6 12-11
Towson 5-7 14-9
Old Dominion 5-7 8-16
William and Mary 2-10 9-14
Northeastern 2-10 4-19
Georgia State 1-11 7-16

Also Thursday

N.C. State 74, Longwood 45: Erin Neal scored 15 points and Chelsea Coward added 10 for the Lancers (5-21).

We always knew JMU's Dawn Evans was a Fox ...

2012-02-08T23:42:00.000-05:00

Dawn Evans is a Fox!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we think she's beautiful, too, but officially she's a Flying Fox. The former James Madison point guard -- also known as the CAA's all-time leading scorer -- leaves for Austria on Friday to join the Flying Foxes (13-1) in the Austrian Women's Basketball League.

"They want me to play as soon as possible," said a giddy Evans. "I thought I could walk away from the game that I love so much, but I just wasn't quite ready to hang up my sneaks! It's an opportunity to go over and get my feet wet at the professional level and just go from there. It's pretty late in the season, so I will just go and try to fit into their system."

The Flying Foxes are an Austrian powerhouse, having won the last six AWBL titles. The other Americans on the team are Nikol Soulis (Wisconsin-Green Bay), Kachine Alexander (Iowa, Minnesota Lynx) and Brittanie Taylor-James (North Carolina A&T).

We bet you'll fit in fine, Dawn. And we look forward to a hearing about life in Austria.

Radford's Erwin Spencer repeats as Big South POW

2012-02-07T16:48:00.001-05:00

Let's see...Radford's Da'Naria Erwin Spencer scored 21 points in a victory at then-Big South unbeaten High Point on Saturday, then poured in 18 of her 24 in the second half to rally the Highlanders from an 8-point deficit to a win two nights later at Campbell. Has averaged 20.2 points during Radford's current five-game winning streak. Oh, and she scored her 1,000th career point in that Campbell game.

Sounds like a player of the week to us.

The Big South agreed, tabbing Erwin Spencer with its weekly honor for the second week in a row, the fourth time this season and the seventh time in the last two years.

Coastal Carolina's Shatia Cole was named the league's rookie of the week.

MEAC roundup: NSU's Gordon named Defensive POW, Hampton keeps pace with FAMU

2012-02-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

We were happy to see Norfolk State's Rachel Gordon win the MEAC's Defensive Player of the Week award Monday afternoon, as it took some of the edge off what happened to her Spartans Monday night.

First the good news: Gordon earned the honor after averaging 14 rebounds in two games last week, including a school Division I record-tying 21-rebound performance against Coppin State. The efforts boosted Gordon's season rebounding average to 10.2, tops in the MEAC and 20th in the nation.

Later Monday, Gordon produced 9 points and 9 more rebounds in what for most of the night appears to be an easy NSU victory at Maryland-Eastern Shore. But with the Spartans up 15 midway through the second half, the Hawks closed regulation on a 17-2 run to force overtime, then prevailed in the extra period for a stunning 62-58 victory.

In other MEAC action Monday, Hampton limited Delaware State to just eight field goals and cruised to a 72-33 victory in Dover, Del. Keiara Avant led five Lady Pirates in double figures with a career-high 19 points and star point guard Jericka Jenkins contributed 10 points and 10 assists as Hampton (17-4, 9-1 MEAC) remained one game behind conference-leading Florida A&M (17-5, 10-0). Jenkins leads Division I in assists with 7.9 per game.

Also Monday, Savannah State topped Longwood 53-41 in Savannah. Chelsea Coward had 12 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Lancers (5-20), who were playing in their first game since a Jan. 25 loss at Eastern Kentucky.

ODU's Lewis named CAA Co-Player of the Week

2012-02-07T07:41:00.001-05:00

Old Dominion's Tia Lewis has been so consistently outstanding this season that a two-game stretch in which she averaged 16 points and 10.5 rebounds didn't really jump out at us.

The Colonial Athletic Association certainly noticed, though, and those performances earned Lewis conference Co-Player of the Week honors. The 6-3 senior from Poulan, Ga. had 17 points and 10 rebounds in ODU's 57-55 loss to James Madison, then racked up her ninth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 boards in Sunday's stunning 81-79 win at Hofstra. Lewis is now averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds this season.

It is the second Player of the Week nod this season for Lewis, who also copped the award on Dec. 19 after dropping 24 points and 13 rebounds on North Carolina A&T.

Lewis shared this week's award with - who else? - Delaware's Elena Delle Donne, who was recognized for the seventh time this season after she averaged 25.5 points and 13 rebounds in two more Blue Hens victories.

Georgia State freshman Miranda Smith, a former star at Patrick Henry High in Roanoke, was named CAA Rookie of the Week after helping the Panthers earn their first conference victory of the season Sunday against Northeastern.

Richmond's Brown tabbed A-10 Rookie of the Week

2012-02-07T07:09:00.000-05:00

The recent improved play of Liz Brown was rewarded Monday when the Atlantic 10 tabbed Richmond's freshman center its Rookie of the Week.

After not recording a single double-double through the Spiders' first 21 games, the 6-4 Brown averaged a double-double in two victories last week. She went for 10 points and Richmond season-high 15 rebounds against Rhode Island before recording 11 points and 9 rebounds against St. Joseph's. Brown also shot 50 percent from the field (9 for 18) in the two games.

Brown started Richmond's first 17 games but has been coming off the bench the past five. The move appears to have paid dividends as Brown has scored at least 10 points in four of those five games. Prior to this stretch, Brown hadn't scored in double figures since a season-high 15-point effort against Boston University on Nov. 18.

"I can't be more proud of Liz," Spiders coach Michael Shafer said. "She has really answered the challenge that we presented. She could have taken herself into a shell, but instead she responded in a positive way. It just goes to show that when you work hard, good things generally happen. This award came at a perfect time for Liz and all of our young players. She has started to show that when she puts her mind to it, she is capable of being an excellent basketball player, not just later in her career, but

Liberty takes control of Big South race; Radford wins fifth straight

2012-02-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

Liberty 73, High Point 65

The Lady Flames lost the rebounding battle for the first time in 49 games. But considering they gained some payback and sole possession of the Big South lead, we'd say they made out well in the exchange.

Five Liberty players scored in double figures as the Lady Flames roared out to a 19-point lead and held on to knock off the Panthers in a battle of conference co-leaders for their ninth straight victory. The Lady Flames also avenged their last defeat, a 73-69 overtime decision to these same Panthers on Jan. 7.

High Point star Erin Reynolds lit up the Lady Flames in that one, nailing a 3-pointer with 17 seconds left to force overtime, recording her team's final six points in the extra period and finishing with game-high 21 points. In the rematch, however, the Lady Flames limited Reynolds to just 10 points - 2 in the second half - on 4-of-19 shooting. Liberty used a 12-0 first-half run to build a 13-point lead and extended their advantage to 19 midway through the second half before withstanding a High Point rally that got the Panthers to within four.

Tolu Omotola and Devon Brown each scored 13 points to lead Liberty (15-7, 10-1 Big South), which shot 50.2 percent from the field and made 6 of 13 3-pointers. LaKendra Washington and freshmen Reagan Miller and Catherine Kearney added 10 points apiece; Miller also contributed six assists and just two turnovers.

Tayler Tremblay scored 21 points to lead High Point (14-8, 9-2), which lost at home for the second time in three days. One small consolation: the Panthers won the rebounding battle 37-36 to become the first Liberty opponent to do so since Baylor on Nov. 26, 2010.

Radford 64, Campbell 59: The streaking Highlanders rallied to win their fifth straight led by Da'Naria Erwin Spencer, who scored a game-high 24 points and cracked the 1,000-career points barrier. Erwin Spencer's jumper with 1:23 left in the second half snapped a 56-56 tie for the Highlanders (12-10, 6-5 Big South), who were down by eight with less than 9 minutes remaining. Ashley Buckhannon added 20 points and hit 6 of Radford's 10 3-pointers. The victory capped a perfect 4-0 road trip for the Highlanders, who have moved into fourth place in the Big South standings:

Big South standings
Liberty 10-1 15-7
High Point 9-2 14-8
Charleston Southern 7-4 14-8
Radford 6-5 12-10
Winthrop 5-5 11-11
Campbell 5-6 12-10
Coastal Carolina 5-6 12-8
Presbyterian 3-7 9-12
UNC Asheville 3-8 7-15
Gardner-Webb 1-10 2-19

VCU, William and Mary suffer tough road losses

2012-02-06T01:07:00.000-05:00

Sunday's CAA results:

UNC Wilmington 80, William and Mary 77: Another close, high-scoring loss for the Tribe (9-13, 2-9 CAA), a frustrating companion to their 100-97 loss to Hofstra, the 82-75 loss to Hofstra and 83-80 loss to VCU. Emily Correal had 22 points, Janine Aldridge added 19 (17 in the second half), Jaclyn McKenna chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds and birthday girl Taysha Pye contributed 13 points. But once again the Tribe gave up points as fast as the scored them. If you're just a fan of women's basketball and want to see some entertaining hoops, this is the team to check out. But if you're a William and Mary fan - or player, for that matter - this has to be getting really old. The good news is that most teams with a 2-9 conference record simply aren't good enough to do much better. This team is plenty good enough; they just need to start getting it done. Tawanna Lee had 21 points and 6 assists to lead the surging Seahawks (14-8, 7-4), who won for the sixth time in seven games.

No. 12 Delaware 68, VCU 49: Pretty clean performance by the powerful Blue Hens (20-1, 11-0 CAA), who shot 51 percent from the field, hit 17 of 21 free throws, had four double-figure scorers, won the rebounding battle by 11 and committed just 9 turnovers in winning their 10th straight. Courtney Hurt had 19 points and 12 rebounds and Andrea Barbour added 17 points. But it took those two 40 shots to combine for those 36 points. For the game the Rams (13-9, 6-5) shot just 32.2 percent from the field.

ACC Sunday: Virginia wins, VTech competitive in loss to Seminoles

2012-02-06T00:08:00.002-05:00

Sunday's ACC results

Virginia 55, N.C. State 47: One of the neat things about these Cavaliers (17-8, 5-6 ACC) is the way they keep responding to frustrating losses one day with spirited efforts the next. Less than 48 hours after a tough loss at North Carolina, Virginia turned N.C. State over 25 times and scored 22 points off those turnovers to hold the Wolfpack off. Ataira Franklin led the way with 20 points and hit back-to-back 3-pointers during the 11-2 second-half run that turned a 27-26 Wolfpack lead into a 38-28 Cavaliers cushion. Virginia is currently in seventh place in the ACC standings one-half game behind Florida State (13-11, 5-5).

Florida State 78, Virginia Tech 60: A respectable showing by the undermanned Hokies (7-16, 3-8 ACC), especially when you consider that on Jan. 8, the Seminoles beat Tech by 35 in Cassell Coliseum. Porschia Hadley came up huge with a career-high 18 poiints, Monet Tellier added 17 and Aerial Wilson chipped in 16 as the Hokies reached the 60-point plateau for just the second time in 15 games. But the Hokies couldn't compete with the Seminoles on the boards as FSU (13-11, 5-5) enjoyed a 49-23 rebounding edge and scored 26 second-chance points.

Offense optional in JMU victory over George Mason

2012-02-05T23:19:00.001-05:00

JMU 49, George Mason 45

Don't know how the Dukes do it.

JMU shot 22.1 percent. We weren't sure that was possible. I mean, has anyone else beaten a team shooting 22.1 percent? Ever? What's the record for lowest shooting percentage in a victory? I'll bet it's not a whole lot lower than 22.1 percent. Wouldn't be shocked it that was the record - 22.1 percent.

Any yet somehow the Dukes keep landing on the sunny side of shooting performances like this. They may not be good at consistently playing well, but they're excellent at making sure you play worse. So on a day when the Dukes' shooting woes almost certainly should have resigned them to a double-digit loss, they instead won for the sixth time in seven games and moved into a second-place tie with Hofstra in the CAA standings.

Given the Dukes' proven knack for winning ugly like this, we're not going to be too critical of George Mason (11-11, 5-6 CAA) for not pulling this one out. Sure, giving up 28 offensive rebounds is on them. And we're curious as to how a team can attempt 63 shots, of which only 7 are behind the 3-point stripe, yet make it to the free throw line only 4 times.

Mostly, though, we think it's another case of the Dukes (16-5, 8-3) defending an opponent into one of their worst offensive showings. And to think, JMU did it without defensive ace Nikki Newman, who got her bell rung early in Wednesday's victory at Old Dominion and sat out for the first time in her 89-game JMU career.

Even without Newman, when the Dukes clamp down and rebound like this, they've shown they can get away with just about any level of shooting inaccuracy. Even if it's 22.1 percent.

"We missed some early, and it snowballed," Dukes coach Kenny Brooks said.

That's about the fifth time Brooks has made such a remark, which is a strange one to keep hearing from the winning coach.

But that pretty much sums up the 2011-12 Dukes so far - strange.

Strange and successful.

Cook lifts ODU past Hofstra

2012-02-05T22:00:00.000-05:00

Old Dominion 81, Hofstra 79:

Must be something about Hempstead, N.Y. that brings out the late-game heroine in the Lady Monarchs.

A year ago, in ODU's last trip to Hofstra, Kquanise Byrd scored with three seconds left to boost the Lady Monarchs past the Pride 79-77. Sunday, they did it again. Jackie Cook took a feed from Ashley Betz-White and laid it in with 2.7 seconds to go as the Lady Monarchs stung the Pride again for their most significant victory of the season.

Mairi Buchan scored a career-high 20 points to lead four Lady Monarchs in double figures in a game that followed a familiar ODU script. With Buchan going nuts early - 3 3s and 14 points in the opening seven minutes - the Lady Monarchs smacked the mighty Pride around through the first 20 minutes and led by 16 at halftime. It marked the ninth time in ODU's last 10 games the Lady Monarchs have been ahead at the half.

The Pride, meanwhile, has been the anti-ODU, continually falling behind early before coming on late. In the first meeting between the two teams, Hofstra trailed by five at halftime before rallying to win by 13. In their 100-97 victory over William and Mary, the Pride spotted the Tribe a 13-point first-half advantage. Last week's 68-61 victory at Drexel, they fell behind by 10 in the first half. You had to figure that eventually, living this dangerously would come back to bite the Pride in the butt. Sunday, though, they almost got away with it again.

It didn't hurt that Hofstra's great come-from-behind ability coincided with ODU's penchant for losing second-half leads.Still, the Lady Monarchs were able to hold them off until the 27-second mark when Deven Green made the second of two free throws to tie things at 79.

In a recent game at William and Mary, and again Wednesday at James Madison, the Lady Monarchs coughed up turnovers on their final possession and suffered losses. This time, Betz-White and Cook executed flawlessly and finally it was the Lady Monarchs doing the celebrating.

Tia Lewis added 15 points and 11 rebounds, Cook also had 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Betz-White chipped in 11 for ODU (8-15, 5-6 CAA). Shante Evans went for 31 points and 10 rebounds for Hofstra (16-6, 8-3), which paid dearly for digging such a huge first-half hole and suffered a serious smudge on its at-large NCAA Tournament resume.

Meanwhile, a resurgent ODU is looking more and more like a team no one wants to play.

Sweet 16 for Schweers in Greece

2012-02-05T16:35:00.000-05:00

We're thrilled for Christopher Newport graduate Chelsie Schweers, who scored 16 points (including four treys) in Panathinaikos's win over Asteras in what was Schweers' professional debut. Schweers, by the way, is blogging for the CNU website weekly (new one should be up Monday) and it's a great read. The Hickory High (Chesapeake) School graduate is the first CNU women's player to play professionally and the only Division III player on a Greek roster.

She's soaking up life in Greece, still getting used to the time change that has her wired into the wee small hours of the morning.

We're looking forward to following Chelsie this season as she continues to live the dream.

The CAA mid-season report

2012-02-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

You gave us your thoughts. We combined them with our thoughts. And here is the LadySwish midterm for what's happened in the CAA so far.

All-CAA

Player of the Year: Elena Delle Donne
A good case can be made that, at least statistically, Delle Donne is having the finest season of any player in the country. More importantly, she's been at her absolute best on the few occasions in which the Blue Hens have been threatened.

First team

Delle Donne: see above.

Courtney Hurt

Courtney Hurt, VCU: Rebounding machine is averaging a whopping 13.3 boards in 10 conference games.

Shante Evans, Hofstra: Joins Hurt and Delle Donne as the only players to average a double-double in conference play.

Tia Lewis, Old Dominion: Has blossomed from really good to great in a year when the Lady Monarchs really needed her to.

Taleia Moton, George Mason: Averaging 24.0 ppg on 50.3 percent shooting against CAA foes.

Second team

Emily Correal, William and Mary: Produces (13.9 ppg, 9.2 rpg in CAA play) while also handling most of the dirty work inside. Teammate Janine Aldridge would be a worthy pick here, too.

Nikki Newman, JMU: Defender deluxe, mistress of the art of defusing the league's most potent forwards.

Hollie Mershon, Drexel: Teammate Kamile Nacickaite scores more points, but Mershon has been the better all-around player.

Jewel Tunstull, Northeastern: Sophomore has seemingly come out of nowhere to become the league's most accurate shooter as well as a high-volume rebounder.

Candice Bellocchio, Hofstra: The triggerwoman of the Pride's high-octane attack (7.3 apg in CAA play), a task she often executes in spectacular fashion.

Rookie of the Year

Ashley Betz-White

1. Ashley Betz-White, Old Dominion: From running the team to virtually never coming off the floor to often being one of the primary scorers, no freshman has more on her plate. Still, Betz-White has handled it well enough to earn conference rookie of the week honors a league-high four times.

1A. Toia Giggetts, James Madison: In CAA play, the former Lake Taylor High star has been just as productive and slightly more efficient than Betz-White in just over half the playing time.

Coach of the Year

Tina Martin, Delaware: There's a lot more to this than simply saying, "Get the ball to Elena and get the hell out of her way!" A whole lot more.

Overachievers:

Delaware: Can a team that was picked to win the league actually overachieve? We think so. The Hens (19-1) looked primed to run the tables behind a player that belongs on the same list as Brittney Griner and Nnemkadi Ogwumike. At the beginning of the season it looked as if the Hens were merely the best team in the league. Now all signs point to this being the CAA's best NCAA Tournament entry since the 2001-02 Old Dominion team that advanced to the Elite Eight and was stopped only by an undefeated Sue Bird/Diana Taurasi-led UConn squad many hail as the best in women's college basketball history.

James Madison: Yep, the Towson loss was a downer, and we didn't think Drexel would beat them. But remember a year ago in the Dukes box score, the kids with the glaring numbers were Dawn Evans, Lauren Jimenez and Courtney Hamner? We like how this group has gelled, and while we're talking about overachieving, how about Kirby Burkholder, who scored a total of 31 points last season? As for defense, we didn't see JMU holding teams to 34 percent shooting

Underachievers

VCU: Unlike Delaware, where Tina Martin has developed an ideal blend of talent to surround her superstar, injuries, inexperience and other factors have Beth Cunningham still searching for the right mix to support twin studs Hurt and Andrea Barbour. Recent results have been encouraging, though, and there's still time for the Rams to make a title push.

William and Mary: Player for player, the Tribe are as talented and experienced as any team in the league. We wouldn't have been shocked if they had gotten off to an 8-2 start. We're stunned to see them at 2-8. Call us crazy, but we still believe this group can be a factor.

Most improved

Kirby Burkholder

Taleia Moton, George Mason. Her arms must be tired from carrying the Patriots offense, particularly in several spectacular second halves. A year ago, tiny Taleia averaged 12.2 points on 31.6 percent shooting. Now she's at 22 points per, and only the great Delle Donne (39.9) scores a higher percentage of her team's points (34.6).

Jewel Tunstull, Northeastern: Last year's numbers: 3.9 points, 2.3 rebounds. This year's numbers: 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds. The defense rests, your honor.

Abria Trice, UNC Wilmington. Another sophomore enjoying a breakout season, Trice averaged just 2.4 points as a freshman but has produced 20-point games twice in the last two weeks.

Kirby Burkholder, James Madison: Did you see the part about scoring 31 points in all the 2010-11 season?

Whatever happened to....

Jennifer Lane, VCU: The senior point guard started all but one of the 105 games in her Rams career and averaged more than 30 minutes per contest. Then a violation of team rules occurred, and Lane didn't appear in VCU's next six games. Since then, she's logged double-digit minutes just once in 9 games, played 9 minutes or less in seven straight and hasn't played at all twice. At this point, it's a stunningly quiet ending to a distinguished career.

Best game

Delaware 72, JMU 65: The Dukes spent the first 30 minutes showing how good they can be. The Blue Hens spent the final 10 minutes showing how good they already are.

Biggest upset

Towson 66, James Madison 58: The Tigers have only one win over a team in the RPI Top 100; this is it. Game exposed JMU's vulnerability on nights when their shots aren't falling - but only when an opponent can execute down the stretch.

Wish we were there for....

Hofstra 100, William and Mary 97: We could have enjoyed women's basketball and gotten our NBA fix with the same ticket.

Glad we weren't there for....

JMU 50, William and Mary 40: Wait a minute, we were there, and no offense, guys, but, ugh. You see, we always go into games involving two state teams hoping both play well. But it was tough watching JMU throw up brick after brick most of the time. And it was even tougher to watch the Tribe go the final 12-plus minutes with just one basket against a good but not overly aggressive JMU zone defense.

Four players to keep an eye on

Amber Easter

Jo Guilford, Old Dominion: Last week's 20-point explosion against George Mason gave Lady Monarchs fans a taste of the big-time production the talented junior is capable of providing.

Jessica Freeman, UNC Wilmington: Has really blossomed as an efficient 3-point shooter and double-figures scorer over the past few weeks.

Jasmine Gill, JMU: Potentially the most dynamic offensive player on a team that could really use a dynamic offensive player.

Amber Easter, George Mason: Patriots coach Jeri Porter has said Easter is capable of getting a double-double every night, and we believe her. If Easter starts believing her, watch out.

Storylines for the rest of the season

The CAA: Count 'em. How many teams do you see in the postseason (remember you have to have a winning record to get into the WNIT)? Here's the dream scenario: Delaware, JMU and Hofstra -- three teams in for only the second time in league history. Drexel, Towson and VCU in the WNIT. George Mason in the WBI.

Delaware: Can they sweep? The key weekend is Feb. 16 and 19 with games at Hofstra and Drexel.

Old Dominion: We were really worried about these guys in late December. But they stayed the course and have improved to the point where if they can display a bit more poise at the end of games, they could loom as a dangerous team in the conference tournament.

James Madison: Love their defense. Now about that scoring ....

Hofstra: Will they sprint to the finish behind the kind of transition game most coaches would envy?

George Mason: Go figure the Thursday win at Drexel. Moton's MVP-like season in a league where EDD doesn't exist adds a whole new dimension to these Patriots.

VCU: These seniors were in the NCAA Tournament as freshmen. Can they find the consistency to make it back to the postseason.

Georgia State: Youth growing up, but we don't think they'll mature in time to make a run.

Towson: Tigers are on a three-game slide, but given that win over JMU, it's hard to count them out of the upset picture.

William and Mary: We know they can shine in the 20 minutes. Imagine if that gleam carried over to the second 20 minutes.

UNC Wilmington: Now that Cynthia Cooper-Dyke has whipped the new-look Seahawks into shape, can this team get enough rebounding to make some serious noise in March?

Northeastern: The Huskies have some good upperclassmen, a talented sophomore (Tunstull) and some quality freshmen. Why doesn't this mix yield better results?

Radford stuns High Point; Liberty, Richmond and NSU post big wins

2012-02-04T22:52:00.000-05:00

Avery Warley sets rebounding mark.

Saturday's results:

Radford 66, High Point 61: Remember those hot streaks Radford typically has at the start of Big South conference play that the Highlanders didn't have this season?

They're having it now.

Da'Naria Erwin Spencer scored 14 of her 21 points in the second half and made a huge layup with 19 seconds as the Highlanders dealt the Panthers their first conference loss. Victoria Hamilton sealed the decision with three free throws late and finished with 16 points as Radford (11-10, 5-5 Big South) won its fourth straight game.

Two years ago, the Highlanders won four of their first five conference games, and last year they got off to a 7-1 start in league play. This season, though, Radford lost five of its first six Big South games, including an 81-65 loss at home to High Point. and appears to be reeling until a 53-26 rout of Presbyterian on Jan. 23. The Highlanders have been on a roll ever since, and their streak is particularly impressive given that the last three victories have all come on the road.

Victories at High Point carry an extra benefit because they come on the same floor on which the conference tournament will be contested. Also, Radford's victory is great news for Liberty as it moved the Lady Flames (14-7, 9-1) into a first-place tie with High Point (14-7, 9-1). The two conference leaders meet on Monday at 7 p.m. at High Point..

Liberty 58, Campbell 45
After 13 boards in this one, Avery Warley became the Big South's all-time leading rebounder with 1,130. Warley and Reagan Miller each added 10 in a balanced effort by the Lady Flames (14-7, 9-1), who shot 54 percent from the field. Speaking of big numbers, coach Carey Green recorded his 300th career victory and Liberty dominated, leading by as many as 24.

Richmond 78, St. Josesph's 59
The Spiders (18-5, 6-3) hadn't beaten the Hawks since 2007, but had no trouble on Saturday in an overpowering effort highlighted by Becca Wann's double-double 18 points and 10 rebounds along with five assists. Abby Oliver scored 19 and Genevieve Okoro -- curiously off the bench -- finished with 13 points. The 18-5 mark is Richmond's best record since the 2004-05 season, the last year the team went to the NCAA Tournament.

Norfolk State 84, Delaware State 66
The Spartans shot 60 percent, including a blistering effort from Whitney Long (17 point on 7-of-9 shooting in 21 minutes). Long became the 20th NSU player to reach the 1,000-point mark (first since Toia Johnson in 2007). Senior Tyisha Bridges tied her career mark with 20 points, and NSU (9-12, 4-6) owned the paint, outscoring DSU 60-22. Despite the heroics, 46 fouls and 56 free throws made us happy we didn't see this one up close.

ACC Friday: Virginia, Virginia Tech drop close ones

2012-02-04T00:43:00.000-05:00

In separate television appearances Friday night, Virginia and Virginia Tech showed the nation what fans around here already know - both teams will compete like crazy. They'll battle 'til the end. And occasionally, they'll break your heart.

No. 23 North Carolina 64, Virginia 56: The Tar Heels appeared to have this one under control up 42-26 with less than 16 minutes to go. But then the Cavaliers started making shots, turning the Tar Heels over and getting to the free throw line. A pair of Chelsea Shine free throws cut the deficit to single digits. Two more from the line out of Ariana Moorer made it a one-possession game (46-44). And when Lexie Gerson went 2-2 from the stripe with four minutes remaining, the Cavaliers were finally even at 52. They couldn't quite get completely over the hump, though. A Tierra Ruffin-Pratt 3-point play with 1:32 to play gave the Tar Heels the lead for good at 57-54, and Candace Wood's dagger 3-pointer with 56 seconds left made it a 4-point UNC edge. By this point, Virginia was out of answers. Moorer finished with a game-high 21 points for UVa., Gerson added 14 and Ataira Frankin chipped in 11 (all in the second half) for the Cavaliers. UNC center Chay Shegog scored 20 points, 14 of them in staking the Tar Heels to that 16-point lead. Carolina also succeeded in forcing 21 turnovers, an uncharacteristically high total from the the Cavaliers. Maybe having to rally from a 16-point deficit sapped a shorthanded Virginia's team's energy for the final minutes. Whatever the case, put this one in the burgeoning file of games (Miami, Maryland, first meeting with North Carolina) in which the Cavaliers battled valiantly against a ranked team but couldn't quite seal the deal.

Clemson 55, Virginia Tech 51 (OT): First the good news....

- a crowd of 3,467 turned out at Cassell Coliseum to see a matchup of rebuilding teams. When the Hokies build their program to the point where they're challenging for ACC titles, that joint is really going to be jumpin'.

- Latorri Hines-Allen went the first 38-plus minutes without scoring a point. Then with 1:08 to play and the Hokies trailing 47-42, she stripped Clemson's Chancie Dunn clean, drove three-quarters court, got hacked in the act of making the fast-break layup and converted the free throw. And on Tech's next possession, she snatched the rebound of an Aerial Wilson 3-point attempt and stuck it back to force overtime tied at 47. Simply a remarkable sequence.

- Hines-Allen grabbed 10 of Tech's 28 offensive rebounds and set a career high with 16 total rebounds.

Now the not-so-good news....

- So many missed shots. So many missed jump shots. The Hokies made just 17 of 79 field goal tries - 30 less than Clemson - and most of the attempts were from the perimeter. Tech's output included a 6 of 33 effort from the 3-point line.Wilson made 4 of a school record-tying 15 3-point attempts. Monet Tellier was 1 for 13 from 3-point range and 4 of 22 overall. You kept wondering when the Hokies would abandon the deep-ball strategy and start attacking the basket. And they did - every now and then. I don't know, maybe the Hokies resist doing this too much for fear of getting fouled since they've been one of the nation's worst free throw shooting teams. Whatever the reason, the Hokies continued to try their luck from a step or so inside or outside the arc. And on this night, those shots simply weren't falling.

Debbie Ryan helps Staley, South Carolina upset Tennessee

2012-02-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

Several weeks after the current Virginia coach led the Cavaliers to one victory over Tennessee, the former Virginia coach did her part to deal the Lady Vols another setback.

South Carolina coach and former Cavaliers great Dawn Staley credits a pre-game pep talk Debbie Ryan gave to her players as one of the hidden keys behind the Gamecocks' 64-60 upset of No. 8 Tennessee Thursday in Knoxville.

"We had my college coach Debbie Ryan come talk to our team about everyone believing on one accord, on being on one accord, and anything is possible," Staley told the Associated Press after South Carolina's first victory over Tennessee in 32 years. "I think our team took that to heart."

Earlier this season, the Cavaliers, now led by Joanne Boyle, upended Tennessee 69-64 in overtime at John Paul Jones Arena.

Hobson stars in VCU win; George Mason (finally) wins on road

2012-02-02T23:41:00.001-05:00

Robyn Hobson

Thursday's games

George Mason 56, Drexel 51: Given the venue and quality of the opponent, this is George Mason's best result of the year - by far - and it seemingly came out of nowhere. The Patriots hadn't won a road game since Nov. 21 (Stony Brook) and trailed 31-23 after the first half of this one. From there, however, the Patriots finally awoke from their road slumber and dominated the Dragons to snap a 7-game road losing streak and claim their first victory at Drexel since 2003. Taleia Moton scored 20 of her game-high 28 points in the second half for the Patriots (11-10, 5-5 CAA), who used a 10-0 run to seize command midway through the frame. George Mason also succeeded in shutting down Drexel scoring stars Hollie Mershon and Kamile Nacickaite. The Dragons duo scored 29 of their team's 31 points in the first half, but combined for just eight after intermission. Finally, a tip of the hat to Patriots sophomore and Philadelphia native Janaa Pickard, who helped her team's cause immensely with 13 points and 6 rebounds in her hometown. The loss was Drexel's third in its last four games and dropped the Dragons to 10-10, 6-4 CAA.

VCU 66, Towson 59: A virtual wire-to-wire victory for the Rams, who took the lead for good on a Robyn Hobson 3-pointer 36 seconds into the game and spent the rest of the game gradually pulling away. Hobson, a reserve junior guard who has been receiving increased playing time of late, got her career first start and responded with a career-high 14 points. This from a player who came in averaging 1.9 ppg. Hobson's production was a welcome complement to the usual contributions of Courtney Hurt (23 points, 9 rebounds) and Andrea Barbour (18 points, 9 rebounds) for the Rams (13-8, 6-4).

Hofstra 82, William and Mary 75: OK, so it wasn't quite the offense free-for-all of the 100-97 encounter these two teams staged last month. But there were still plenty of points to go around as five players scored in double figures for each team. They should pay time-and-a-half for keeping stats when these teams play. As has often been the case this season, the Tribe showcased their impressive ability to score but could not count of their defense for key stops, particularly during a second half in which the Pride erased a 3-point deficit at the break by scoring 49 points on 50-percent shooting. Jaclyn McKenna led William and Mary with 16 points, double-double machine Emily Correal had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Taysha Pye, Katherine DeHenzel and rookie Kyla Kerstetter each had 12. Shante Evans had 19 points and 10 rebounds, Marie Malone contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double and Candice Bellocchio chipped in 14 points and 11 assists for Hofstra.

In other CAA games:

No. 12 Delaware 62, UNC Wilmington 53: Elena Delle Donne had 29 points (11 of 22 shooting) and 14 rebounds to lead the Blue Hens to their ninth straight victory.

Georgia State 81, Northeastern 74: Kendra Long scored 19 points to lead four Panthers in double figures as Georgia State got off the CAA schneid.

CAA standings
Delaware 10-0 19-1
Hofstra 8-2 16-5
JMU 7-3 16-5
Drexel 6-4 10-10
UNCW 6-4 13-8
VCU 6-4 13-8
George Mason 5-5 11-10
Old Dominion 4-6 7-15
Towson 3-7 12-9
William and Mary 2-8 9-12
Northeastern 2-8 4-17
Georgia State 1-9 7-14

Delle Donne: "I will be back"

2012-02-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Great news for Delaware fans - and another year of headaches for the rest of the CAA - Delaware superstar Elena Delle Donne says she will indeed remain a Blue Hen for the 2012-13 season. In fact, Delle Donne doesn't just say it, she guarantees it.

ESPN's Mechelle Voepel, who will have a story on Delle Donne on the ESPN.com website soon, broke the news during her weekly online chat:

I spoke with Elena Delle Donne yesterday, and she guarantees she will NOT be leaving early. Her exact words: "I know its a lot of fun for people to chat about, but I can tell you this Blue Hen will be here next year. I will be back. I love it way too much to leave early."

UPDATE: Here's Voepel's ESPN.com story on Delle Donne.

Delle Donne could have made herself available for this year's WNBA draft.

Hislop comes through in final seconds to lift JMU over ODU

2012-02-01T23:04:00.002-05:00

Sometimes a game leaves you speechless. We've seen lots of them between Old Dominion and James Madison. Games where Meredith Alexis comes out of the tunnel pounding her chest. Games where T.J. Jordan has drained 3-pointers from impossible angles. OT games. CAA championships.

No title was on the line this time, yet Wednesday's game was nothing short of a thriller. A 55-all tie was broken with Tarik Hislop's 8-footer with 3 seconds on the clock. Hislop had shot the ball 19 times prior to that, misfiring on 18 of those shots.

Dukes win 57-55 -- the sixth time they have beaten ODU in the last nine games the teams have played.

This is the same JMU team that took Delaware to the wire on Sunday before falling 72-65, but for much of the night, this one looked to belong to an ODU team that came out with an energy that the Dukes lacked for the first 30 minutes. The Lady Monarchs scored 36 first-half points against a defense that Kenny Brooks has praised as his best. ODU looked to be en route to Karen Barefoot's finest victory as the Lady Monarchs' coach.

It was only two weeks ago when these Dukes trailed William and Mary by 10 at Kaplan Arena and clawed their way back, denying the Tribe all but one field goal in the final 10 minutes. They didn't have quite the same clamp on ODU, but the Lady Monarchs offense fizzled in the second half, outscored 31-19. Overpassing, poor shooting and turnovers -- the last of which came with the game tied at 55 and 14 seconds left -- earned Hislop her shot. Coaches tell you to keep shooting, but you wonder? Did she think it was going in?

Lewis heaved up a prayer before the buzzer that didn't fall. Lewis finished with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists.

Lots of storylines here including what a loss might have cost the Dukes come NCAA Tournament time, but how about Hislop, whose miserable 39 minutes and 57 seconds couldn't have ended any better? And kudos to Kirby Burkholder, whose 20 points (courtesy of a career high-tying 6 3-pointers) saved JMU when nobody else could find the basket.

For ODU, another home loss stings; any loss to JMU hurts a little more. Somehow they need to find a way to adjust to the adjustments teams are making in the halftime locker room to subdue their offense. But we can't help but be impressed, particularly by the reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Ashley Betz-White. The numbers don't add up; the freshman scored 5, didn't make a 3 in five attempts and turned it over eight times. But 9 rebounds for a kid who's the smallest on the floor? And what about the way she popped up after taking a blow to the head that left us dizzy? Commendable toughness for a freshman being asked to carry an extremely heavy load.

All in all, a fitting chapter in what has long been the CAA's fiercest rivalry. Can't wait for the next installment.

.

Liz Wood doing it all for Liberty High

2012-02-01T10:55:00.002-05:00

Photo courtesy of Susan Spencer

We have our hands full just trying to keep track of Virginia's college teams, so we're not able to devote much space to the state's outstanding high school performers. But it's not every day someone cranks out a quadruple-double the way Liberty High star Liz Wood did recently when she produced 19 points, 14 rebounds, 12 steals and 10 assists in an 82-26 victory over Fauquier.

The performance made Wood, a 5-11 senior guard who will play for the University of Maine next fall, something of a media celebrity as several newspaper, online and television outlets heralded the feat.

"The coolest part...was appearing on ESPN.com," Wood said via e-mail. "They put up clips of me on their weekly high school update. I felt like I was famous! It was also great to get a district win against our crosstown rivals."

(Click here to see the ESPN.com clip)

The attention clearly hasn't gone to Wood's head, though. On Tuesday, Wood became the all-time leading scorer and rebounder in school history after her 28-point, 7-rebound effort in her team's 52-32 victory over Warren County. The previous record-holder is Jazmon Gwathmey, who is currently redshirting her freshman year at James Madison.

The Eagles (19-1) have gone 8-0 since Wood's quadruple-double and have won 19 straight since a season-opening loss to Courtland. With Wood and junior center Liz Croushorn leading the way, Liberty appears poised to launch a serious defense of its 2010-11 Division 4 state title.

"Liz has truly stepped into the role we needed her to this year," Liberty coach Lauren Milburn said. "Last year when we won the state championship, we had several experienced players and scorers, including Liz. This year, we knew it would be different as some of our other players would need to gain more confidence. We knew the ball would be in Liz's hands, and as anyone can see by her numbers, she is performing just as needed. She is so versatile on the court and does a little bit of everything to help make us successful."

The most efficient players in the CAA

2012-02-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

Who have been the most efficient players through the first half of the Colonial Athletic Association season?

Efficiency is a way of wrapping up a player's statistical contributions in one number. The idea is to give a player credit for positive stats (points, assists, steals, etc.) and deduct for not-so-good numbers (missed shots, turnovers). There are various methods of calculating it, but we'll use the NBA/WNBA formula, which is as follows:

((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) – ((Field Goals Att. – Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. – Free Throws Made) + Turnovers))

In the same way the RPI shouldn't be used as the end-all guide for how teams rank, efficiency scores don't tell the whole story on how players rank. For example, as is the case with any other stat we've seen in women's basketball, the ability to lock someone down defensively isn't measured (sorry, Nikki Newman). Still, it is a good way to sum up a player's boxscore contributions, and let's face it, points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks are all anyone writes about in game stories anyway. And if it's good enough for the NBA and WNBA, we figure it won't hurt for us to give it a whirl.

With that in mind, here are the Top 50 average player efficiency scores through nine CAA games:

1. Elena Delle Donne, Delaware - 30.4
NOTE: Delle Donne's average efficiency score for the whole season is 31.5. By comparison, Baylor's Brittney Griner is at 28.4, Stanford's Nneka Ogwumike checks in at 24.3 and Notre Dame's Skylar Diggins is at 19.2. So if anyone wants to make a case for Delle Donne as the national player of the year, this would be a great place to start.

2. Tia Lewis, Old Dominion - 19.1

3 (tie). - Taleia Moton, George Mason - 19.0

3 (tie) - Courtney Hurt, VCU - 19.0

5. Shante Evans, Hofstra - 17.9

6. Janine Aldridge, William and Mary - 17.1

7. Jewell Tunstull, Northeastern - 15.2

8. Andrea Barbour, VCU - 13.6

9. Hollie Mershon, Drexel - 13.4

10. Candice Bellocchio, Hofstra - 13.0

11 (tie). Kirby Burkholder, JMU - 12.9

11 (tie). Emily Correal, William and Mary - 12.9

13. Deanna Kerkhof, Northeastern - 12.1

13 (tie) Amber Easter, George Mason - 12.1

15. Taysha Pye, William and Mary - 11.8

16. Jackie Cook, Old Dominion - 11.6

17. Kate Loper, Hofstra - 11.1

18. Danielle Parker, Delaware - 11.0

19. Abria Trice, UNC Wilmington - 10.8

20. Chandra Harris, Georgia State - 10.4

21 (tie). Karneisha Garrett, UNC Wilmington - 10.2

21 (tie). Kamile Nacickaite, Drexel 10.2

23 (tie). Deree Fooks, Towson - 10.0

23 (tie). Rahneeka Saunders, George Mason - 10.0

23 (tie). Janaa Pickard, George Mason - 10.0

26. Lauren Carra, Delaware - 9.7

27. Nikki Newman, James Madison - 9.6

28 (tie). Alisha Andrews, UNC Wilmington - 9.1

28 (tie). Jessica Freeman, UNC Wilmington - 9.1

28 (tie). Candace Bond, Hofstra - 9.1

31. Ayoola Weaver, UNC Wilmington - 8.7

32. Jaclyn McKenna, William and Mary - 8.6

33 (tie). Toia Giggetts, James Madison - 8.4

33 (tie). Katherine DeHenzel, William and Mary - 8.4

35. Ashley Betz-White, Old Dominion - 8.3

36 (tie). Taylor Wooton, Drexel - 8.1

36 (tie). Alana Beroth, Georgia State - 8.1

38 (tie). Krystal Parnell, Towson - 8.0

38 (tie). Mairi Buchan, Old Dominion - 8.0

40 (tie). Evelyn Lewis, George Mason - 7.9

40 (tie). Tyler Hale, Drexel - 7.9

42 (tie). Jamie Conroy, Northeastern - 7.8

42 (tie). Akeema Richards, Delaware - 7.8

44 (tie). Kristyn Fields, Towson - 7.4

44 (tie). Lauren Whitehurst, James Madison - 7.4

46 (tie) Nicole Capurso, Hofstra - 7.2

46 (tie). Jocelyn Bailey, Delaware - 7.2

48. Aprill McRae, VCU - 6.9

49 (tie). Tarik Hislop, James Madison - 6.7

49 (tie). Marie Malone, Hofstra - 6.7