WBB Report - Feb. 4
CAA 4-1-1:
• Delaware is the last undefeated team in
conference play at 9-0, while James Madison follow with a 8-1 records. Drexel
(7-2) and Old Dominion (6-2) follow.
• For the week ending Feb. 3, the top five
scorers in the league (on the week) averaged 24.4 points per game. They
averaged as high as 28.7 ppg to 20.0 ppg. For the break down on these players
and their numbers, check out the note on the top of page 4.
• Delaware jumped five spots in the AP Top
25 on Feb. 4 to No. 20. The Blue Hens received votes in the USA Today/Coaches
Poll last week. The Blue Hens were picked No. 1 for the third consecutive week
in the CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Poll and Drexel followed at #23.
• Delaware's Elena Delle Donne was named to
the John Wooden award mid-season Top 20 List. She was the only non-BSC
candidate listed. She was also listed on the State Farm Wade Watch hopefuls
list on Feb. 4
• Hofstra's Shante Evans, who leads the
nation in active career double-doubles, recently became the Pride's all-time
scoring leader and previously this season became the Pride's all-time
rebounding leader. There are only two other active women's players who are also
their school's all-time scoring and rebounding leader.
• CAA Record Book Watch: Located on Page 13.
Delaware's Elena Delle Donne is nearing breaking CAA career marks.
• The CAA Women's Basketball Championship
will return to the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland in 2013 for the
third straight season (Mar. 14-17).
Credential forms have been sent out -- if you have not received one,
please contact Niki DeSantis at the CAA office.
• The 11 CAA teams have posted a 64-60
record in the season in non-conference play.
• The most recent RPIRatings.com report
posted that the CAA was ranked 14th among the 33 conferences with Delaware
ranked at 24 leading the CAA.
• The College of Charleston has accepted an
invitation of membership to join the CAA beginning July 2013.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Elena Delle Donne • Delaware
Wilmington, Del./Ursuline, Sr., Guard/Forward
Delle Donne received CAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week honors
after leading the Blue Hens to a 3-0 week, while averaging a league-best 28.7
points per game. The senior finished the week netting 35 points, her second
best this season, against Hofstra for her second 30-plus point game this year.
Delle Donne was named ESPNW's National Player of the Week for her performance.
She missed just one free-throw on the week going 20-for-21 from the line, while
shooting 44.6 percent (29-65) from the floor. Delle Donne added 6.7 rebounds,
2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per outing last week as well.
Tanisha McTiller • Towson
Chicago, Ill./Lincoln Park, Jr., Guard
McTiller collected CAA Women's Basketball Player of the Week accolades
after scoring a team-best 26.5 points per game. She added 7.5 rebounds per
contest, while was second best on the squad. The junior, who averages a
league's second-best 18.4 points per game, shot 47.6 percent (20-42) from the
floor in the Tigers' two contests and 91.7 percent (11-12) from the free throw
line. McTiller scored a team-high 23 points against James Madison on Thursday
before pouring in a career-high 30 points against Northeastern on Sunday. The
junior added 12 rebounds against the Huskies to tab her team-leading sixth
double-double of the season. She finished the week tying team highs of five
assists and three steals.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Precious Hall • James Madison
Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay School, Fr., Guard
Hall received CAA Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week honors for the
fourth time this season after helping the Dukes to a 2-0 week. The freshman
averaged 14.5 points per game, including pouring in a team-best 19 points in
the win over William & Mary. Hall shot 52.6 percent (10-19) from the floor
for JMU and perfect from the line (6-6). The rookie guard also grabbed 4.5 rebounds
per game and added 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per outing.
CAA AT NO. 14 IN RPI RANKING (Through Feb. 3): The CAA is ranked 14th among the
nation's 33 Division I conferences in women's basketball according to the RPI
report compiled by Collegiate Basketball News. Delaware jumped to No. 24 in the
team RPI ranking. Drexel (79) and James Madison (91) both joined UD in the Top
100, while Northeastern (123), Hofstra (132),
and Old Dominion (136) round out the CAA teams in the Top 200.
CAA IN THE TOP 25: The Delaware Blue Hens, who are now 18-3, jumped in the
Associated Press Poll Top 25 to No. 20 after returning at No. 25 a week ago.
The Blue Hens received votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time
since No. 19 on Jan. 29. Delaware opened the 2011-12 and 2010-11 seasons
receiving votes in the AP Poll, but it was the first time in program history
that the Blue Hens were ranked in the preseason. The Blue Hens were ranked in
the AP Top 25 for 16 weeks during their record-setting season a year ago. UD
went undefeated (18-0) in league play and claimed the conference tournament
title in 2012. Delaware, which finished last season with a 31-2 record, climbed
as high as seventh in the national rankings and advanced to the NCAA Tournament
Second Round following its first postseason win in school history. All-American
Elena Delle Donne recently returned after missing six contests this season, as
she had been sitting out during treatment for Lyme Disease.
TWO CAA TEAMS
RANKED NO. 1 IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR POLL: Delaware
improved to No. 1 in the CollegeInsider.com Jan. 29 edition of the mid-major
poll with 28 first-place votes, while Drexel jumped into the Top 25 ranked at
No. 23. James Madison (55) and Hofstra (36) also received votes. The women's
Mid-Major Top 25 is comprised of teams from the following conferences: America
East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Colonial, Great West,
Horizon, Independents, Ivy, Metro Atlantic, Mid-American, Mid-Eastern, Missouri
Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Southern, Southland, Southwestern,
Summit, Sun Belt, West Coast Conferences.
DELAWARE'S DELLE DONNE ESPNW WOMEN'S HOOPS PLAYER OF THE
WEEK: Delaware's
Elena Delle Donne, a senior forward/guard from Wilmington, Del., is the ESPNW
national player of the week (Feb. 3) after her outstanding performance in UD's
past three-game week. The senior averaged 28.7 points in the three games over
six days. In Sunday's 79-63 win over Hofstra, Delle Donne scored 35 points on
10-of-20 shooting and grabbed nine rebounds. Twenty-one of those points came in
the first half, including a halftime buzzer-beating 3-pointer that helped send
Delaware to its 13th straight win. Even more telling: Delle Donne played 36
minutes against the Pride. Her 26-point effort against Northeastern and
25-point performance at Georgia State were so good that she didn't have to play
much in the second half of two easy victories. Thanks to Delle Donne's efforts
-- she has averaged more than 25 points per game since her complete return --
the Hens are 9-0 in the CAA and moved back into the Top 25 last week. In fact,
Delaware has won 28 straight regular-season conference games. Charlie Creme,
Graham Hays, Michelle Smith and Mechelle Voepel each vote to determine ESPNW's
national player of the week, which is awarded every Monday of the women's
college basketball season.
AWAITING A
SPOT AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne is averaging
25.3 points per game. Delle Donne is not currently listed among the CAA or
national leaders, due to her six games missed earlier this season, but if she
continues to play every game and continues her stellar scoring she should join
the CAA & national leaders after the Feb. 14th game. To be ranked, a player
must appear in at least 75 percent of their team's games. Delle Donne led the
nation in 2011-12 scoring 28.1 points per game. In 2010-11, she missed 11 games
while being treated for Lyme Disease symptoms, but played in 22 contests
scoring 25.3 ppg -- Oral Roberts' Kevi Luper led the nation in 10-11 averaging
23.7 ppg. Delle Donne ranked third
nationally at the conclusion of her rookie campaign after pouring in 26.7
points per game in 29 outings.
HOT SHOOTING
AROUND THE CAA FOR THE WEEK ENDING FEB. 3: Five players around the CAA
averaged 20.0+ points per game last week, led by Delaware's Elena Delle Donne's
28.7 ppg (3 games, 29-of-65 FG/20-of-21 FT).
Towson's Tanisha McTiller averaged 26.5 ppg (2 games, 20-of-42
FG/11-of-12 FT), Hofstra's Shante Evans (2 games, 16-of-35 FG/15-of-18 FT) and
Drexel's Hollie Mershon (2 games, 16-of-37 FG/9-of-9 FT) each poured in 23.5
ppg and William & Mary's Emily Correal added 20.0 ppg (2 games, 12-of-28
FG/16-of-17 FT).
DELLE DONNE MAKES TOP 20 WOODEN
AWARD MID-SEASON LIST: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne was named to the John R. Wooden Award
Women's Mid-Season Top 20. The senior landed herself on another prestigious
honor list as the only non-BCS nominee listed. Delle Donne averages 24.4 points
and 9.3 rebounds for the Blue Hens, despite sitting in six of her team's first
seven games due to fatigue resulting from issues related to Lyme disease. The Big East led all conferences with six
selections, followed by the ACC with four, the Big 12 and Big 10 with three
each, the SEC has two, the CAA and Pac-12 with one apiece.
HOFSTRA'S HISTORY BOOKS: Senior forward Shante Evans set the
program's all-time scoring record on Jan. 13 against George Mason and currently
has 1,947 career points. Evans, who is averaging a team-leading 17.3 points, is
on pace to be Hofstra's first 2,000-career point scorer. Evans became Hofstra's
all-time leading rebounder on Nov. 28 and currently has 1,207 rebounds and also
ranks in the CAA top 10. Entering this season, Evans has averaged over 330
rebounds per year during her career with the Pride. The CAA record is held by
James Madison's Meredith Alexis (2004-07) with 1,313 and Evans is on pace to
challenge Alexis' mark this season.
HIGH-NUMBERS: Hofstra's Shante Evans, who currently has 1,947 career
points and 1,207 career rebounds, ranks among some of the top current players
in the nation regarding her career numbers. Evans is third among players who
have passed 1,600 points and 1,000 rebounds, as Howard's Saadia Doyle (2111
pts, 1083 rbs) and Baylor's Brittney Griner (2903 pts, 1144 rbs) rank higher
than her. Evans ranks at #50 among the
all-time list currently with stats dating back to 1999-00 in the same category
and if we shorten the list to 1,900 points and 1,100 rebounds all-time Evans
ranks at #34 among stats dating back to 1999-00.
DOUBLE-TROUBLE
ALL-TIME LEADERS: In addition to Hofstra's Shante Evans, there are only two
other active women's players who are also their school's all-time scoring and
rebounding leader. Sametria Gideon from Kennesaw State and Loyola Marymount's
Alex Cowling are their program's all-time scoring and rebound leaders.
DELLE DONNE
ABOUT TO TOP CAA HISTORY MARKS: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne is just
notches away from hitting the number one spot in numerous categories in the CAA
record books (list on page 13). Delle Donne needs just 29 points to tie James
Madison's Dawn Evans for first in the CAA history with 2,667 career
points. The senior All-American also
needs just to make 14 free throws to tie Gabriela Marginean (684) in a career
in CAA history. Delle Donne can also cap the top of the field goals made in a
career category with Marginean (904) with 13 made field goals. The senior
forward/guard is just 37 free throw attempts away from tying Marginean (769) in
a career, but Hofstra's Shante Evans needs just 23 to tie Marginean at this
point and the battle for the top will come down to the "line".
IN THE [CAA RECORD] BOOKS: Shante Evans
entered the CAA's top 10 list in career scoring on Jan. 6 and entered the CAA
record books in field goals made in a career on Jan. 20. The senior most
recently entered the record book in field goals attempted in a career on Feb.
3. Delaware's Elena Delle Donne jumped into the CAA's top 10 list in free
throws attempted, while Georgia State's Cody Paulk entered the league's top 10
list in blocked shots during the week ending Dec. 30. On the first weekend of
the 2012-13 season the league had two women's basketball players crack the CAA
all-time record books -- JMU's Kirby Burkholder sank seven three pointers
against Virginia, while William & Mary's Emily Correal grabbed 21 rebounds
against East Carolina. Kirby's seven trey's ranks her tied for ninth in the CAA
record books, while Correal's 21 rebounds is tied for fifth for rebounds in a
single game. Hofstra's Shante Evans jumped into the CAA record books in career
rebounds on Nov. 28th. Full list of updated CAA career record book listings are
on page 13 of these notes.