WBB EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo
Guard, Freshman, Rochester, NY (Edison Tech)
Freshman Dyaisha Fair recorded her second career double-double scoring 23 points and dishing out 10 assists to go along with four rebounds and two steals to help lead Buffalo to an 86-72 victory at Miami (OH) the Bulls' conference opener on Saturday. The Rochester, NY native currently ranks third in the nation in scoring at 23.6 points per game.
WBB WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan
Guard, Junior, Detroit, Mich. (Martin Luther King)
Central Michigan junior guard Micaela Kelly remained red-hot this past week as the Chippewas earned a split falling to UCF in their non-conference finale before defeating Akron on the road to open Mid-American Conference play. In Monday's 65-58 road loss to the Knights, Kelly finished with a team-high 26 points and was 6-of-10 from three-point range to go along with five rebounds. In Saturday's 77-72 victory over the Zips, she posted her third 30-plus point outing of the year finishing with a team-best 31 points shooting 8-of-18 from the floor and was 13-of-14 on free throw attempts. Kelly also finished the game with seven boards, which matched a team-high, and dished out a team-best four assists. On the season, Kelly paces the league in scoring and ranks No.2 in the NCAA averaging 24.3 points per contest.
Other Nominees
Jordyn Dawson, Akron
Forward, Junior, Huntington, W. Va (Huntington HS)
In her Mid-American Conference play debut, junior Jordyn Dawson wasted no time dominating on the hardwood. The Zips forward scored a career-high 25 points, shot 50-percent from the floor, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out two assists and recorded one steal. Dawson powered the Akron attack in the early going, scoring on numerous strong drives to the hoop and also hitting a three-pointer on her way to 15 first-half points, topping all scorers.
Thelma Dis Augustsdottir, Ball State
Forward, Sophomore, Keflavik, Iceland
Thelma started the week off for the Cardinals leading them in scoring with a 21-point performance, 16 of which were in the second half, to help lift Ball State past Urbana Monday in its non-conference season finale. It was the second-straight contest that Agustsdottir had led the the Cardinals in the scoring category. Against the Blue Knights, Agustsdottir made five 3-pointers while shooting 61 percent (8-13) from the field she also dished out three assists. On Saturday, in the Cardinals MAC opener, Agustsdottir finished the day with 11 points. In a tight game against the Golden Flashes, Agustsdottir hit some pivotal shots inside the paint that would keep the Cardinals in the game. Agustsdottir scored back-to-back layups at the start of the third quarter to give Ball State back the lead. Agustsdottir was a big part of the Cardinals win on Saturday against Kent State. For the week, Agustsdottir led the Cardinals in scoring averaging 16.0 points per game while connecting on 6-of-12 from behind the arc.
Areanna Combs, Eastern Michigan
Guard, R-Junior, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam City West) (Oklahoma State)
Redshirt junior Areanna Combs continued to display her top-level playing ability with a career-best performance against Bowling Green, Jan. 4. Combs helped Eastern pick up its fourth consecutive win, the team’s best streak since it notched six straight victories during the 2015-16 campaign. Combs’ near-perfect performance was highlighted by a career-best 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting. Her 14 field goals rank second-best in a single game by any player in the MAC this season, while her 32 points is tied for fourth-best among conference players this season. Additionally, her 70.0 shooting percentage is the best all-time in the 20-year history of EMU’s Convocation Center (of any player with greater than 12 attempts), and her 14 field goal makes is tied for the eight-most in a single game by any player in Eastern Michigan women’s basketball history. In addition to her historic offensive performance, Combs was stellar in other areas of the game as well. Her seven rebounds tied for the team lead and game-high, while her two three-pointers paced the Eagles. She also dished out two helpers and added four steals. Combs has scored in double figures in every game she has played in this season, now six consecutive games. She leads all Eagles with a 20.7 points per game, 3.0 steals per game average. Her scoring numbers are only outpaced by two other players in the MAC, while her steals per game average is only bested by one other competitor.
Nila Blackford, Kent State
Forward, Freshman, Louisville, Ky. (Dupont Manual)
Nila Blackford averaged 18.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in just 23.5 minutes per contest to lead Kent State to a 1-1 record this past week. In her Mid-American Conference debut, Blackford led all players with 23 points and nine rebounds at Ball State on Saturday afternoon. She scored 14 points in 17 minutes of action on Monday against Hiram.
Lauren Dickerson, Miami
Guard, Senior, Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North)
Senior guard Lauren Dickerson made her presence felt as Mid-American Conference play started and non-conference play wrapped up, averaging 24 points per game last week and breaking the program record for career field goals made as she now has 689 as a RedHawk. Dickerson recorded her second 30-point game of the season on Saturday, putting up a game-leading 32 points. She scored 18 of her points in the fourth quarter, including five of her six three-pointers, as she led Miami in field goals (12), three-pointers (6) and assists (7). Dickerson also scored 16 against Tiffin in the non-conference finale.
Gabby Nikitinaite, NIU
Guard, Junior, Orpington, Kent, UK (Coopers School)
Gabby Nikitinaite led NIU with 16 points off the bench at Ohio on Saturday. The junior guard had scored seven total points in the previous five games before putting up her fourth double-digit scoring output of the year. Nikitinaite was 6-of-10 from the field and tied a season-high with four three-pointers. She also had three rebounds and three assists.
Erica Johnson, Ohio
Guard, Redshirt sophomore, Mansfield, Ohio (Mansfield Senior)
Redshirt sophomore Erica Johnson (Mansfield, Ohio) was stellar in Ohio's MAC opening win over Northern Illinois on Saturday. Johnson posted 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting. Johnson was 5-of-9 from the three point line, including a half-court buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter. Johnson added eight rebounds, including three on the offensive side, and five assists in the win. Johnson was +22 in 26 minutes on the floor.
Mariella Santucci, Toledo
Guard, Senior, Bologna, Italy
Senior Mariella Santucci paced Toledo with a season-high 20 points and a career-best 11 rebounds at Western Michigan in Saturday's MAC opener to post her fifth-collegiate double-double. The 2019-20 team captain shot 6-of-12 from the field against the Broncos, including a perfect 2-of-2 from three-point land, and 6-of-10 from the charity stripe in a squad-best 33 minutes to surpass the 20-point plateau for the fourth time as a Rocket. Santucci’s previous-best effort was 10 boards on two occasions, most recently at Detroit Mercy on Dec. 14.
Jordan Walker, Western Michigan
Guard, R-Sophomore, Muskegon, Mich. / Mona Shores
Redshirt sophomore Jordan Walker continued her run as leading scorer for the Broncos with two stellar showings this week. She averaged nearly a double-double with 20.5 points per game and 7.0 rebounds, adding 1.5 assists and three steals. On Sunday, the Broncos defeated previously 9-1 Loyola Chicago behind a high-scoring performance from Walker. She led the team with 21 points, seven rebounds and two steals and shot 8-for-15 from the field with two three-pointers made. In Saturday's conference-opening win against Toledo, she scored 20 points to mark her fifth game of the season with 20 or more points. She currently ranks fifth in the conference with 16.5 points per game, having started and seen significant action in all 12 games so far this season for WMU.
