WBB Report - Feb. 25

WBB Report - Feb. 25

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CAA 4-1-1:

        • Delaware is the last undefeated team in conference play at 15-0, while Drexel and James Madison follow with 12-3 records. Old Dominion stands in fourth among the league standings with a 10-6 record.

        • Hofstra's Shante Evans is just 16 rebounds from tying former JMU all-star Meredith Alexis as the CAA's all-time leading rebounder with 1,313 career boards. Evans became the first player in Hofstra WBB history to score 2,000 career points on Feb. 10.  She is also closing in on a few CAA career records, after recently becoming the Pride's all-time leading scorer and rebounder.

        • Delaware's Elena Delle Donne was named 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America Division I Women's Basketball Member of the Year for the second straight season. She is just the fourth scholar-athlete to win the Academic All-America of the Year honor for WBB in back-to-back years, joining Maya Moore (UConn), Kara Jennings (Nebraska) and Michelle Flamoe (Oregon).

        • Delle Donne became the CAA's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 10 during the Blue Hens' win at JMU and currently has 2,786 career points. She is also closing in on a number of other CAA career marks, full list on Page 13.

        • Delaware steadied at No. 18 in the most recent AP Top 25 Poll and the Blue Hens jumped in the USA Today/Coaches Poll to No. 19 on Feb. 19. The Blue Hens were picked No. 1 for the 6th consecutive week in the CollegeInsider.com's Mid-Major Poll & JMU leaped in at #21.

        • 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 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 earned CAA Player of the Week after leading the 18th-ranked Blue Hens to a pair of victories over George Mason and James Madison to clinch at least a share of the CAA regular season title. The senior guard/forward averaged 29.5 points per game, including her 33rd career game of 30+ points (31 against Mason).  She also posted a season-high six blocks against James Madison to tie for first place in CAA history with 255 career blocked shots. Delle Donne finished the week averaging 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 blocks and 1.5 steals per game.

 

Shae Kelley • Old Dominion

Denver, Colo./Denver East, So., Forward

Kelley received CAA Player of the Week honors after helping the Lady Monarchs to back-to-back wins over William & Mary and Hofstra. The sophomore forward averaged 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and collected her team-leading seventh double-double of the season. Kelley shot a stellar .750 (12-16) from the field including a season-best .875 (7-8) during Sunday's match-up against Hofstra. The sophomore also went 10-for-14 (.714) from the free throw line and added six assists, five steals and a block on the week. Kelley has now scored in double digits in 19 games this season. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:

Meghan Creighton • Drexel             

West Chester, Pa./Archbishop Carroll, Fr., Guard

Creighton picked up her second CAA Rookie of the Week honor this season after helping the Dragons to a 3-0 week with wins over UNCW, George Mason and William & Mary. The freshman averaged 10.7 points per game, including a career-high 20-point performance against the Tribe. She became the first Drexel freshman since Gabriela Marginean in 2007 to record a 20-point game, and was the Dragons' leading scorer. The rookie hit a career-high six treys in the win, going 6-for-11 from long range.  Creighton dished out 11 assists on the week to go along with three steals and four rebounds, while starting all three outings.   

 

CAA AT NO. 14 IN RPI RANKING (Through Feb. 24): 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. 20 in the team RPI ranking. James Madison (82) and Drexel (92) both joined UD in the Top 100, while Northeastern (116), Old Dominion (117), and Hofstra (141) round out the CAA teams in the Top 200.

CAA IN THE TOP 25: The Delaware Blue Hens, who are now 24-3, steadied at No. 18 in the Associated Press Poll Top 25 after returning to the poll five weeks ago. The Blue Hens improved in the USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 19 on Feb. 19. 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 Feb. 19 edition of the mid-major poll with 27 first-place votes, while James Madison re-entered the Top 25 at No. 21. Drexel (81) and Hofstra (2) 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.

CAPITAL ONE ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA TOP HONOR: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne was named 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America Division I Women's Basketball Member of the Year for the second straight season. She is just the fourth scholar-athlete to win the Academic All-America of the Year honor for WBB in back-to-back years, joining Maya Moore (UConn, 2010 & 11), Kara Jennings (Nebraska, 1992 & 93) and Michelle Flamoe (Oregon, 1988 & 89). The senior is a human services major with a 3.62 GPA. Delle Donne, who missed six games this season due to symptoms of Lyme Disease, is second in the nation in scoring and ranks among the best in the nation in free throw percentage.

DELLE DONNE TOPS 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 recently became the league's all-time scoring leader career points surpassing James Madison's Dawn Evans for first in the CAA history with 2,667 career points on Feb. 10 and currently has 2,786 career points. The senior now holds the records for CAA field goals made (940) and free throws made (713) earning the marks on Feb. 14, passing Drexel's Gabriela Marginean in both categories. Delle Donne surpassed Hofstra's Shante Evans for the top spot in free throws attempted (785), while Evans is at 781. Delle Donne also tied William & Mary's Tiffany Benson in career blocked shots for the top spot in the CAA with 255.  

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 2,051 career points. Evans, who is averaging a team-leading 16.7 points, became Hofstra's first 2,000-career point scorer on Feb. 10. Evans became Hofstra's all-time leading rebounder on Nov. 28 and currently has 1,297 rebounds and ranks second among the CAA all-time leaders. She is just 16 rebounds away from tying James Madison's Meredith Alexis (2004-07) who holds the CAA record with 1,313 career boards.

HIGH-NUMBERS: Hofstra's Shante Evans, who currently has 2,031 career points and 1,287 career rebounds, ranks among some of the top current players in the nation regarding her career numbers. Evans is third among active players who have passed 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, as Howard's Saadia Doyle (2,218 pts, 1,129 rbs) and Baylor's Brittney Griner (3,030 pts, 1,201 rbs) rank higher than her, but Evans is the only active player with over 2,000 points and 1,200 rebounds in a career. Evans currently ranks at #18 among the all-time list with 2,000 points and 1,200 rebounds all-time dating back to 1999-00.

DOUBLE-TROUBLE PROGRAM ALL-TIME LEADERS: In addition to Hofstra's Shante Evans, there are only three other active women's players who are also their school's all-time scoring and rebounding leader. Sametria Gideon from Kennesaw State, Loyola Marymount's Alex Cowling and Northern Arizona's Amy Patton are their program's all-time scoring and rebound leaders.

IN THE [CAA RECORD] BOOKS: Hofstra's Shante Evans now owns a spot in the CAA all-time top 10 lists in six career categories (points scores, field goals made, field goals attempted, free throws made, free throws attempted and rebounds)--including the top spot in free throws attempted (770). Delaware's Elena Delle Donne became the league's all-time leading scorer on Feb. 10 and also holds the record for free throws made in a career and field goals made. Delle Donne is ranked in the CAA's top 10 career lists in three other categories -- field goals attempts, free throws attempts and blocked shots.  Georgia State's Cody Paulk entered the league's top 10 list in blocked shots during the week ending Dec. 30 and is climbing the all-time chart. 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.

REACHING THE MILESTONE - 1,000 CAREER POINTS: Northeastern's Kashaia Cannon is the CAA's most recent player to reach the 1,000 career point milestone on Feb. 24, joining teammate Deanna Kerkhof (Jan. 24)--they are the 15th and 16th in program history. Old Dominion's Jackie Cook reached the mark on Feb. 21. Delaware's Danielle Parker became the UD's 24th player in program history to register her 1,000th career point on Feb. 7.  The Blue Hens now have three 1k career scorers currently on the team. Drexel's Hollie Mershon became the Dragon's 20th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points on Dec. 21 after pouring in a team-high 23 points. Delaware's Lauren Carra reached 1,000 career points as she tallied 16 against nationally-ranked Maryland on Dec. 20. Carra became the 23rd Blue Hens to reach the plateau. William & Mary's Emily Correal poured in a career-high 28 points against Radford on Dec. 8th and in the same outing became the Tribe's 17th WBB player to reach 1,000 career points. George Mason's Amber Easter and William & Mary's Janine Aldridge have scored their 1,000th career points this season. 

JONES WILL BE REMEMBERED: Sara Jones, a volunteer assistant to Old Dominion University head women's basketball coach Karen Barefoot, passed away the morning of Feb. 15 after a lengthy battle with breast cancer. Jones served as Barefoot's volunteer assistant the past two seasons and was an incredible motivator for the Lady Monarch team. Jones, 40, fought breast cancer the last 12 years of her life. The Lady Monarchs celebrated Sara's life and breast cancer survivors on Sunday at the 11th annual Hoops for the Cure game.

WBCA PLAY4KAY - FIGHT BREAST CANCER: The CAA, all 11 women's basketball programs and the WBCA teamed up to fight breast cancer. The CAA women's basketball programs committed to participate in a variety of different ways to assist in raising breast cancer awareness on the court, across campuses, in communities and beyond. A large number of schools committed to participate nationwide in the 2012 WBCA's Play4Kay initiative. The CAA and the women's basketball programs are asking fans to attend one of the CAA's Play4Kay women's basketball games and donate to help fight breast cancer and increase early detection and prevention.

MATHEWS TO FINISH THE SEASON: The Towson Univsersity Director of Athletics Mike Waddell announced Friday that the contract of Joe Mathews, head women's basketball coach of the Towson Tigers, would not be renewed.  Mathews, who is in his 12th season, will coach the remainder of the season for the Tigers.

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.  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.

MVPs ALL AROUND: Delaware's Elena Delle Donne led the Blue Hens to the Blue Sky Classic title with averaging 20.0 ppg and 12.5 rpg to earn MVP honors (Dec. 30). Hofstra's Shante Evans received the MVP award at the New York Life Holiday Tournament (Dec. 23) after leading the Pride to a pair of victories over Mississippi and Northwestern. She poured in 23.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game. Drexel's Nicki Jones earned the TD Bank Classic Most Valuable Player honors (Dec. 1) after the Dragons took home their second tournament title of the season. Jones played just 20 minutes against Rhode Island, and scored 20 points in 32 minutes of the championship game against Vermont. The senior shot 10-for-14 (.714) against Vermont to go along with nine rebounds, two blocks and four steals. She joins teammate Hollie Mershon and Georgia State's Cody Paulk as they earned Most Valuable Player honors at their respective tournaments over the Thanksgiving weekend. Drexel won the Long Island University Tournament as Mershon led the team pouring in 16.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg. She added eight assists and three steals helping the Dragons earn their first in-season tournament victory since the Big Apple Classic in December 2000.  Paulk led the Panthers to the GSU Thanksgiving Classic title scoring 15.0 ppg and 9.5 rpg. She also tied a personal best six blocks against Georgia Southern on the first day and finished with nine total blocks on the week to go along with four assists and three steals. Paulk also shot 65 % (13-for-20) from the floor in 43 minutes of action.