Mid-American Conference

 
East Division
Cierra Dillard, Buffalo, Shooting Guard
Junior – Rochester, NY/Gates Chili
Junior guard Cierra Dillard continued her steady play this week as the Bulls were able to go 2-0 with wins over Miami (OH) and Ball State. Dillard finished off her week averaging 19.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals as she led UB in scoring in both victories. In Wednesday's home win over Miami, Dillard willed the Bulls to victory as she posted a game-high 19 points, eight assists, six rebounds and three steals while connecting on three triples. On the road Saturday against 14-1 Ball State, Dillard had a huge first half for UB as she netted 14 points as she hit 4-of-6 three pointers through 20 minutes. With her first bucket of the second half, the Rochester native joined the 1,000-point club. Dillard finished off her team-best third 20-point game of the season as she netted 20 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds across 33 minutes of work.
 
West Division Player
Mikaela Boyd, Toledo, Guard
Junior – Hillside, Ill./ Proviso West
Junior Mikaela Boyd averaged team highs in points (17.0 ppg), rebounds (16.0 rpg), assists (4.5 apg) and steals (1.5 spg) in a pair of Toledo victories this past week. Boyd shot a sparkling 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field and a sensational 85.7 percent (6-of-7) from the charity stripe in a squad-best 35.0 minutes to help the Rockets defeat Ohio and Northern Illinois. She began the week with 17 points, a career-high 19 caroms and a season-best eight helpers against the Bobcats on Wednesday. Three days later against the Huskies, Boyd totaled a team-high 17 points, a contest-best 13 boards and two thefts in a squad-best 35 minutes. The Hillside, Ill. native has now posted a double-double in four of the last five contests and on a team-tying best five occasions this year. Overall this season, Boyd is averaging 10.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, a team-high 4.1 assists and a squad-best 2.5 steals in a team-high 31.1 minutes per contest.

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Other Nominees:
Alyssa Clay, Akron, Shooting Guard
Sophomore – Indianapolis, Ind./Pike
Alyssa Clay was dialed in from long distance this week for the Zips shooting an efficient 7-for-11 (63.6 percent) from beyond the arc to total 21 of her 30 points scored against Ball State and Bowling Green. Against the Falcons, Clay poured in a career-best 22 points, while connecting on a career-best six-of-eight triples to pace the Akron offense. In the contest with the high-powered Ball State Cardinals, Clay pitched in eight points and a career-best three assists.
 
Cierra Hooks, Ohio, Guard
Freshman – Dayton, Ohio/Thurgood Marshall
Cierra Hooks led Ohio offensively during the week and helped the Bobcats to a 1-1 week, including handing WMU their first home loss of the 2017=18 season. Overall, Hooks averaged 14.5 points a game, and scored a career-high 22 points this week) She also averaged a team-leading 5.5 rebounds and dished out 1.0 assist and has 2.5 steals per game. Off the bench, Hooks shot .529 from the field, .500 from three-point range and .833 from the free throw line. On Jan. 13 at Western Michigan, Hooks scored a career-high 22 points, going 7-of-9 from the field, 1-of-1 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the 69-54 victory. She also had a team leading six rebounds while dishing out two assists. On Jan. 10 at Toledo, Hooks scored seven points, going 2-of-8 from the field, 3-of-4 from the free throw line, and registered a team-high four rebounds
and five steals.
 
Jordan Korinek, Kent State, Forward
Senior – Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio/St. Vincent-St. Mary
Jordan Korinek continued her stellar start to the conference season by averaging 25.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists over Kent State two games this past week. Korinek posted her first double-double (23 points, 13 rebounds) of the season and matched her career-high with 5 assists while shooting 17-for-19 at the free throw line to help the Golden Flashes erase a 7-point halftime deficit and defeat Eastern Michigan on Wednesday. Her 17 free throws made rank fifth in Kent State single-game history and are the sixth-most by a NCAA Division I player this season. Korinek added a game-high 28 points and fueled a comeback attempt that fell just short Saturday at first-place Central Michigan. She grabbed 7 rebounds and shot 11-for-16 in the contest.
 
Kendall McCoy, Miami, Forward
Junior – Sylvania, Ohio/Northview
Junior Kendall McCoy continues to be a consistent scoring option for the RedHawks and earned her first two starts of the year this past week. The Sylvania, Ohio native averaged 14.5 points per game, six rebounds, three assists and two steals a game. She shot an impressive 57.1 percent from the floor and made all four free attempts that she had. McCoy went for 12 points and seven boards in a near comeback on the road at Buffalo on Wednesday before scoring 17 and collecting five rebounds in a loss to Eastern Michigan on Saturday.  After having 11 double-figure scoring performances all of last year, McCoy now has 11 this year, including six straight and nine of the last 10.
 
Danielle Minott, Eastern Michigan, Guard
R-Junior – Miami, Fla./Miami Country Day
Redshirt junior Danielle Minott stuffed the stat sheet as she led Eastern Michigan University's women's basketball to a 1-1 mark, Jan. 10-13. Minott averaged 15.5 points, 4.0 rebonds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game in a pair of road games. The Miami, Fla. native turned in her best game of the season Saturday, Jan. 13, at Miami, going off for a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while adding four rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
 
Tinara Moore, Central Michigan, Forward
Senior –Southgate, Mich./Southgate Anderson
Central Michigan is the only undefeated team in the Mid-American Conference and improved to 13-3 overall and 5-0 in the league with two victories last week. The Chippewas topped Bowling Green, 90-54, on Wednesday, Jan. 10 and then defeated Kent State, 88-84, on Saturday, Jan. 13. Senior Tianra Moore averaged a double-double (17.5 pts., 10.5 rebs.) to lead CMU along with 4.0 blocks per game. She went 14-of-23 (60.9%) from the field and made all six free throw attempts. Against Bowling Green, the senior scored 14 points, grabbed seven rebounds and swatted away five shots in 18 minutes of play. Three days later, the Southgate, Mich. native recorded her 32rd career double-double (21 pts., 14 rebs.) in 36 minutes on the floor. Moore also garnered three blocks which tied the CMU career record (171) with former Chippewa Crystal Bradford (2011-15). Moore ranks second on the team in points per game (17.1) and is shooting 57.8 percent (100-of-173) from the field.
 
Kelly Smith, Northern Illinois, Forward
Senior – Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead
Kelly Smith led the way for the Huskies last week, averaging 19.5 points and six rebounds a game. The Huskie senior shot a team best 52.9 percent from the field, going 18-of-34 in two starts for NIU. At Western Michigan, Smith, who is averaging 16 points a game, scored 21 points and hauled in a team-best eight rebounds. At Toledo, she finished with a game-high 18 points, while grabbing four boards.
 
Deja Wimby, Western Michigan, Guard
Junior – Fort Wayne, Ind./Snider
Western Michigan point guard Deja Wimby led the Broncos in almost every statistical category as WMU went 1-1 last week. The junior averaged 17.5 points, shooting at a 42.4 percent pace, 6.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 3.5 steals and 2.0 blocks against Northern Illinois and Ohio. On Wednesday, Wimby poured in a season-high 24 points off 10-of-19 shooting while dishing out nine assists to go along with six rebounds and three steals in 40 minutes to help the Broncos mount a fourth quarter comeback and defeat the Huskies. Just three days later against Ohio, she notched her third consecutive double figure game with 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals, and two blocks.