EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Erica Johnson, Ohio
Guard, Redshirt Sophomore, Mansfield, Ohio (Mansfield Senior)
Redshirt sophomore guard Erica Johnson had the first triple-double in Ohio program history in OU's win over American on Sunday. Johnson produced had 24 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory. Johnson's triple-double was the first in Ohio history and the 13th in Mid-American Conference history. A player has not recorded a triple-double in the MAC since 2016. Johnson's 11 assists was a career-high, while she was two points shy of her career best. Johnson was 10-of-16 from the field and 4-of-6 from the three-point line in 35 minutes of play. Johnson had 13 points in the opener against No. 21 Syracuse. Johnson knocked down seven threes over the past week.
WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kyra Bussell, Central Michigan University
Forward, Junior, Grand Rapids, Mich. (Grand Rapids Catholic Central)
Central Michigan forward Kyra Bussell put on a show this past week as the Chippewas opened the 2019-20 season with a 115-111 double-overtime loss to Green Bay at home. Bussell, a junior from Grand Rapids, Mich., led the offense with career-high 29 points on 12-of-15 from the floor and was 3-of-4 from long range. She also made her presence felt on the glass leading the team with nine boards to go along with three blocks.
Other Nominees
Shaunay Edmonds, Akron
Guard, Senior, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Seton La Salle)
Shaunay Edmonds led the Akron Zips to a furious fourth-quarter comeback to earn a 63-54 victory over St. Bonaventure in the Zips season opener. Edmonds turned in the first double-double of her career scoring 20 points and recording a career-high 10 steals while also adding three rebounds and two assists. Edmonds was efficient from the floor shooting .429 and was even better at the free throw line going 7-for-8. Akron trailed by seven points going into the fourth quarter and came out on top by +8. Edmonds scored seven of her 20 points in the final period while recording five of her 10 steals.
Caterrion Thompson, Bowling Green
Guard, R-Junior, Lima, Ohio (Lima Senior)
Bowling Green's Caterrion Thompson averaged a team-high 20.0 points as the Falcons won a pair of games last week. Thompson was playing for the first time since March of 2018, after missing all of last season due to injury. She had 20 points, just one off of her career high, in BGSU's season-opening game, an 89-62 win over Cleveland State. She was 9-of-17 from the floor in that win, adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Three days later, she scored a game-high 20 points as the Falcons downed Morehead State. Thompson was 3-for-6 from three-point range vs. the Eagles, and had four rebounds (including three offensive boards), a game-high four assists and two steals. She had a plus-minus rating of +41 in the two games, with a +21 vs. CSU and a +20 against MSU, leading the team in that category in both games.
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo
Guard, Freshman, Rochester, NY (Edison Tech)
Dyaisha Fair started her Buffalo career in impressive fashion as the freshman led the Bulls to a 2-0 start to the season, averaging 27.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists on the week. On Tuesday, Fair recorded a double-double in her first game in the blue in white, scoring a game-high 24 points while pulling down 10 rebounds and dishing out three assists in UB's regular season opener over Central Connecticut State. The Rochester, NY native upped her game in Buffalo's game against local rival Niagara on Saturday as she poured in a game-high 31 points, becoming the first Buffalo freshman to score 30 or more points in a game since 2000. She added seven assists, three rebounds and two steals in the win.
Kiara Johnson, Eastern Michigan
Forward, Sophomore, Buffalo, N.Y. (Cardinal O'Hara)
Sophomore forward Kiara Johnson was an unstoppable presence in the paint for the Eastern Michigan women’s basketball team in its season-opening games against No. 17 Michigan State University, Nov. 5, and Olivet College, Nov. 8. The Buffalo, N.Y. native averaged double-digit scoring (10.0 ppg), while shooting 57 percent (8-for-14) from the floor, 66 percent from the charity stripe (4-for-6), and averaging three boards per contest. Johnson’s points per game average ranks second among all Eagles, and first amongst the team’s post players. Additionally, Johnson contributed two blocks, one steal, and an assist during the two-game stretch. She currently ranks 10th in the MAC in field goal percentage, and inside the league’s top-25 in free throw shooting.
Katie Shumate, Kent State
Guard, Freshman, Newark, Ohio (Newark)
Katie Shumate averaged 40.5 minutes per game and a team-high 16.5 points per game in leading Kent State to a pair of gritty road victories during her collegiate debut last week. Shumate scored 25 of her 33 points after halftime to lead the Golden Flashes to two come-from-behind wins. She also averaged 6.0 rebounds and shot 4-for-5 from long distance. In the first game of her Kent State career, Shumate went for 17 points, four rebounds and two assists in a 77-75 win over Duquesne. She followed with 16 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks on Saturday at Youngstown State. Her blocked shot of a three-point attempt on the Penguins’ final possession of the fourth quarter helped send the game to overtime.
Savannah Kluesner, Miami
Forward, Senior, St. Charles, Mo. (Lutheran)
Senior forward Savannah Kluesner led Miami's offense in the season opener at No. 18 DePaul with 21 points. That is the seventh 20-point game of her career. Kluesner shot 8-of-14 from the floor, including a shot from long range. Her block in the game moves her up to 11th in program history with 74 career blocks. Kluesner also recored two assists and two steals in the game.
Courtney Woods, NIU
Forward, Redshirt-Senior, Brisbane, Australia (St. Margaret's)
Courtney Woods averaged 21 points per game as NIU opened its season going 1-1 against Harvard and North Dakota State. Woods led the Huskies with 22 points in the season opener against Harvard on Tuesday, scoring 17 points in the second half. She followed that up with 20 points and six rebounds in NIU's 74-68 overtime win at NDSU. Woods was 11-for-12 at the foul line against the Bison, and 18-for-20 for the week. She has scored 20 points in a game 30 times in her career. Ten of those 30 have come in the month of November.
