MAC Announces Women's Basketball Players of the Week
East Division
Larissa Lurken, Kent State, G
Senior / Cottage Grove, Minnesota - Park
Lurken had a monster week in three games at the Gulf Coast Showcase, breaking numerous personal, Kent State and tournament records. Two minutes into the opening game against No. 5 Baylor she sunk a three that earned her 1,000th career point, becoming the 20th player in Kent State history to reach the milestone. A 39-point effort against Western Kentucky set a new career high in scoring and broke the Gulf Coast Showcase record for points scored in a game as the Flashes battled into overtime against the Lady Toppers. In that game on Saturday, she also became Kent State’s new career leader in made three-pointers and set a new program single game record for free throws made and attempted as she sunk 22 of 25 from the line. Lurken finished the week with a double-double, scoring 24 and grabbing 13 rebounds in a win against Florida Gulf Coast.
West Division
Ally Lehman, NIU, G
Senior / Nineveh, Indiana - Indian Creek
After falling just two rebounds and an assist shy of triple-double versus Chicago State, Ally Lehman recorded the third triple-double in NIU history against Illinois State in just 28 minutes on the floor. Lehman tallied 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting, 10 rebounds and 11 assists, recording the feat on the first possession of the fourth quarter before being subbed out for the rest of the game. The Huskies led the Redbirds by as much as 48 points in the contest and recorded 100 points in regulation for the first time since 1996. The senior opened the week with 15 points, eight boards and nine dimes against the Cougars. Lehman's triple-double was the fifth in the NCAA this season and the first for NIU since 1995. NIU leads the nation in scoring with 97.0 points per game.
Other Nominees:
Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott, Toledo, G
Junior / London, England - Greig City Academy
Junior Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott averaged a team-high 14.5 points in two games at the Cancun Challenge on Nov. 24-25. Bravo-Harriott was the only Rocket in score in double figures in both contests. She shot an impressive 56.3 percent (9-of-16) from the field in 22.0 minutes and all nine of her field goals were triples. The 2015-16 honorable mention All-MAC selection opened the tourney with 11 points, three caroms and one theft against Davidson on Thursday. The following evening vs. national ranked UCLA, Bravo-Harriott drained a season-high six treys and posted a squad-best 18 points. The Rockets started 4-0 for the first time since 1996-97.
Jewel Cotton, Central Michigan, F
Senior / Harper Woods, Mich. - Harper Woods
Central Michigan senior Jewel Cotton led the Chippewas to three wins this week after defeating Oakland (Nov. 22), Utah Valley (Nov. 25) and North Dakota State (Nov. 26). Cotton finished the week averaging 13.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 assists. She led the team in field goal percentage at .704 (19-of-27). Cotton scored in double-digits all the games, including a week-high 16 points against Utah Valley. On Tuesday night, Cotton posted 13 points, going 6-of-11 from the field in a double overtime victory over Oakland. Cotton was perfect from the field, shooting 7-of-7 and added nine rebounds versus Utah Valley on Friday. In 20 minutes of play, the Harper Woods, Mich. native scored 12 points to go along with six rebounds and two assists against North Dakota State on Saturday. The senior is tied for a team-high 15.0 points per game and leads in field goal percentage at .672 (39-of-58) with a minimum of 20 attempts. Cotton has scored in double figures and shot over 50.0 percent from the field in the last five contests.
Sasha Dailey, Eastern Michigan, G
Junior / Toledo, Ohio - Rogers
Junior guard Sasha Dailey turned in a solid weekend at the UTSA Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 25-27. Dailey averaged 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.5 assists in a pair of games against Tulane and Northern Colorado. The Toledo, Ohio native shot 37.0 percent (10-of-27) from the field while going a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. For her efforts, she was named to the all-tournament team. Off the bench again the Green Wave, she posted her fifth consecutive game in double figure points with 11 to go along with eight caroms and four steals. She followed it up with a 16-point contest in her first start of the season, connecting on a career-best three shots from downtown.
Marley Hill, Western Michigan, C
R-Junior / Cleveland, Ohio - Columbus Afrocentric
Hill helped the Broncos go 2-1 on the week including a sweep at the UMKC Plaza Lights Classic where she was named the MVP of the invitational. She was the only Bronco player to score in double-figures in all three games this week and poured in a career-high 19 points against the host UMKC. She averaged 15.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 blocks in her three games and now leads the team this season in scoring and blocks. She is the only member of WMU to score in double-figures in all five games this season.
Quiera Lampkins, Ohio, G
Senior / Gahanna, Ohio - Gahanna Lincoln
Quiera Lampkins led Ohio offensively and defensively this week, leading the Bobcats to a 2-0 week to improve their overall record to 4-0. On Nov. 21 against Northern Kentucky, Lampkins scored a team-leading 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in the Bobcats 58-41 win. Lampkins was 8-of-17 (.470) from the field and 4-of-4 from the free throw line. In her 37 minutes of action, Lampkins also has two steals, three blocks and one assist. On Nov. 26 against Murray State, Lampkins scores a season-high 28 points in the 79-70 win over the Racers. She also grabbed eight boards and dished out two assists and has three steals. In 39 minutes on the floor, Lampkins shot 9-of-19 (.473) from the field, 1-of-3 (.333) from three-point range and 9-of-12 (.750) from the charity stripe. Overall on the week, Lampkins averaged 24.0 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. She also had five steals, three assists and three blocks while playing 38.0 minutes a game. Lampkins shot 17-of-36 (.472) from the field and 13-of-16 (.812) from the free throw line.
Moriah Monaco, Ball State, F
Junior / Dover, Ohio - Dover
Monaco was named to the Savannah Invitational All-Tournament team after averaging 16.7 points in three contests. Monaco opened the Savannah Invite with an 11-point performance against Auburn. She was the leading scorer amongst all players against NC A&T after helping the Cardinals to victory with a 23-point performance. Monaco then finished the invitational as the top scorer for Ball State against East Carolina after scoring 16 points while also pulling down eight rebounds. Monaco has now scored in double figures every game this season.
Cassie Oursler, Buffalo, C
Junior / Grand Island, NY - Grand Island
Junior center Cassie Oursler finished off one of her best week's of her career by leading UB to a perfect 2-0 record while averaging 14.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 assists. On Tuesday, Oursler netted the game-winning bucket with three seconds remaining to give UB the huge 71-69 win over Duquesne. Oursler finished off the game with 11 points and three rebounds. Saturday, Oursler had the best game of her career as she netted a new career-high 18 points on 7-for-13 from the floor while also grabbing eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks. The junior has helped UB start the season 5-0 for the second straight season, marking the first time they have started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons in program history. She is now averaging 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds through five games.
Carly Santoro, Bowling Green, G
Sophomore / Bellevue, Ohio - Bellevue
Bowling Green women's basketball standout Carly Santoro led the Falcons in scoring and rebounding as BGSU went a perfect 2-0 last week. Santoro averaged 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in wins over Lafayette and Saint Peter’s, as BGSU wrapped up play in the Naismith Basketball Memorial Hall of Fame Challenge. She had five points, seven rebounds and two assists in BG’s 69-42 victory vs. Lafayette, playing just 17 minutes as the Falcons burst out to an early lead and head coach Jennifer Roos emptied the bench early. Then, on Sunday, Santoro was named the game’s Most Valuable Player after exploding for career-high totals in multiple categories vs. Saint Peter’s. Santoro shattered her career best with 28 points in the 73-68 win over the Peacocks at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass. She had her second double-double of the season, matching her career high with 12 rebounds, and she also set a career standard with four steals. Santoro also set new career marks in field goals made (10) and attempted (18) and minutes played (40), and she added two assists in the win. On the year, Santoro is averaging a team-high 14.6 points per game, and she is second on the Falcons with 7.2 rebounds per game. With 86 points and 43 rebounds through six games this season, she has nearly matched her totals (119 points, 50 rebounds) for all of last year.
