WBB EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Savannah Kluesner, Miami
Forward, Senior, St. Charles, Mo. (Lutheran)
Senior forward Savannah Kluesner led Miami in scoring (21.0 ppg) and on the boards (9.0 rpg) as the RedHawks earned their first victory of the young conference season this past week. Kluesner also averaged 2.5 blocks per game as she continues to lead the league with 31 blocked shots this season. She recorded her eighth double-double of the season at Central Michigan as she led the RedHawk squad with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Kluesner went 7-of-8 from the charity stripe against the Chippewas. Against Northern Illinois, Kluesner led the RedHawks with 19 points and eight rebounds and shot greater than 50 percent from the floor.
WBB WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Oshlynn Brown, Ball State
Forward, Junior, Chillicothe, Ohio (Chillicothe)
Brown averaged a double-double in Mid-American Conference action this week averaging 20.0 points per contest while pulling down 11.0 rebounds per game. Brown started the week off with a season high 29 points, helping the Cardinals to an 86-80 overtime win at Bowling Green. On Saturday, Brown completed a crucial old fashioned 3-point play while also making her free throws down the stretch to help propel the Cardinals past Eastern Michigan Saturday. The 59-54 win over the Eagles marked the seventh-straight victory for Ball State. Against the Eagles, Brown recorded her eighth double-double of the season after scoring 11 points along with adding a game-high 14 rebounds. Brown also helped Ball State remain unbeaten in MAC play. For the week, Brown averaged 20.0 points and 11.0 rebounds. She also had a successful showing at the free throw line making 14-of-20 (.700) free throws. Brown now has 25 double-doubles for her career.
Other Nominees
Haliegh Reineohl, Akron
Forward, Senior, Westfield, Ind. (Westfield HS)
Senior Haliegh Reinoehl continues to impress on the court for the Zips leading Akron to a 1-1 week against Western Michigan and Bowling Green. The Zips captain averaged a double-double in week two of Mid-American Conference play averaging 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per contest while shooting at an efficient 52.0-percent from the floor and at a 42.9-percent clip from long range. Additionally, Reinoehl totaled 21 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block in 35.8 minutes per game. Reinoehl turned in her best performance inside league play against the Falcons to lead the Zips to 14 unanswered points in the final 2:29 and complete the 76-73 come-from-behind win. The senior forward matched a career-high 26 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the campaign while shooting 10-for-16 from the floor and knocked down four three-pointers. Against Western Michigan, Reinoel recorded a game-high 11 rebounds and scored eight points. Reinoehl has now led the team in rebounding in five games and owns a three-game streak of at least 10 rebounds.
Theresa Onwuka, Buffalo
Guard, Senior, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria (Lake Forest Academy)
Senior guard Theresa Onwuka averaged 11.5 points and 6.5 rebounds in a pair of games this week. Onwuka scored 14 points at Toledo on Saturday and recorded nine points and eight rebounds against Ohio on Saturday. The Nigeria native is currently averaging 16.5 points per game while leading the team in rebounding at 7.1 rebounds per contest.
Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan
Guard, Junior, Detroit, Mich. (Martin Luther King)
Central Michigan junior guard Micaela Kelly turned in another impressive week as the Chippewas went 2-0 with Mid-American Conference victories over Ohio and Miami (OH). In Wednesday's 73-71 road win over the Bobcats, the Detroit native finished with a team-high 21 points to go along with five assists, five rebounds, and three steals. In Saturday's 76-70 victory over the RedHawks inside McGuirk Arena, Kelly posted a team-best 29 points shooting 10-of-19 from the field. She also brought down seven boards with three steals in the win. On the season, Kelly leads the conference and ranks No.2 in the NCAA averaging 24.4 points per contest. She also ranks second in the MAC in three-point percentage (.420) and fourth in field goal percentage (.481).
Areanna Combs, Eastern Michigan
Guard, Redshirt Junior, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam City West)
Redshirt junior Areanna Combs notched her seventh and eighth consecutive double-digit scoring effort in two electric performances against Kent State, Jan. 8, and Ball State, Jan. 11. Combs led the Eagles with 15 points points, adding two steals and six board against Kent, helping Eastern to a 2-0 mark in league play and its fifth consecutive victory. With the win, EMU became 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, when the Eagles opened MAC play with wins over Northern Illinois, and Ball State, respectively. Additionally, the win is the first for Eastern over Kent State since the 2016 season, and the first in Kent, Ohio since EMU topped the Flashes, 70-53, Feb. 4, 2015. Prior to tonight's win, EMU had lost its previous six matchups against KSU. Against Ball State, Combs was equally as good, scoring a team best 18-points while also hauling in a team-leading 11 rebounds. The performance was the first double-double of Combs’ EMU career, and improved her league-play scoring average to 21.7 points per game. Her points per game average for all games this season is 19.9, a number only two players in the MAC outpace.
Katie Shumate, Kent State
Guard, Freshman, Newark, Ohio (Newark)
Katie Shumate went 4-for-4 from behind the three-point line and scored 17 of her career-high 20 points to help Kent State build a 16-point halftime lead en route to handing Western Michigan its first conference loss on Saturday. Shumate also pulled down a team-best eight rebounds in the victory. She scored 14 points in the Golden Flashes’ first game of the week against Eastern Michigan. Over the two games, Shumate shot 6-of-8 from long range.
Courtney Woods, NIU
Forward, Redshirt-Senior, Brisbane, Australia (St. Margaret's)
Woods averaged 16 points and 5.5 rebounds per game this week against Miami and Toledo. She led all scorers with 23 points against the RedHawks on Wednesday night, adding eight rebounds and a game-high four steals. Woods was 8-of-15 from the field and scored 12 points in the third quarter alone. She followed that up with nine points against Toledo on Saturday.
Erica Johnson, Ohio
Guard, Redshirt sophomore, Mansfield, Ohio (Mansfield Senior)
Erica Johnson was stellar in both Mid-American Conference games this week, including a 22 point outing in Ohio's 76-65 win on the road at Buffalo. Against the Bulls, Johnson was 9-of-18 (50.0 percent) from the field and hit two three-pointers while pulling down eight rebounds. She added four assists and a steal in the win. On Wednesday against Central Michigan, Johnson had 17 points, nine rebounds and three steals in the win.
Tanaya Beacham, Toledo
Forward/Center, Junior, Youngstown, Ohio (Toledo Rogers)
Junior Tanaya Beacham averaged a team-high 14.0 points, a squad-best 7.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in a pair of Toledo victories this past week. Beacham shot a sizzling 63.2 percent (12-of-19) from the field and 50.0 percent (4-of-8) from the charity stripe in 23.5 minutes per contest off the bench and was one of only two Rockets to score in double figures in both games. The 2019-20 team captain opened the week with a team-high 17 points and five boards in 26 minutes vs. Buffalo on Wednesday in Toledo’s MAC home opener. Three days later against Northern Illinois, the Youngstown native tallied 11 points, a game-high nine caroms and a career-tying best two rejections in 21 minutes. The 2019-20 team captain is averaging 12.7 ppg over the last three games, shooting a splendid 68.0 percent (17-of-25) from the floor.
Breanna Mobley, Western Michigan
Forward, Senior, Lansing (Waverly)
Breanna Mobley had a strong showing for the Broncos in MAC play last week, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in both games. On Wednesday in the win against Akron, she led the Broncos with 15 points and 11 rebounds, good for her tenth double-double of the season. She also tallied a season-high four blocks, one shy of a career-high. On Saturday, she again led the Brown & Gold with 16 points and 13 rebounds, good for her 11th double-double of the season. She tied for her season-high with four blocks and added an assist, playing in nearly all 40 minutes of the contest. Mobley reached a unique Bronco milestone during the Kent State game. She joins the ranks of only two other women's basketball players all-time in tallying at least 1000 points, 600 rebounds, and 100 blocks. The fifth-year starter added points in all three categories this afternoon, bringing her to 1,446 points, 958 rebounds, and 103 blocks and counting during her time with the Brown & Gold. Previous players to receive the honor are Kristin Koetsier (1999-2003) and Miracle Woods (2012-2016). Mobley is averaging 13.8 points and 10.7 rebounds, a conference-best, so far this season.
