MAC Women's Basketball Player of the Week
Cece Hooks, Ohio
Guard, Senior, Dayton, Ohio (Thurgood Marshall)
Senior guard Cece Hooks (Dayton, Ohio) was phenomenal in Ohio's season-opening wins over Liberty and No. 22 Notre Dame. In Ohio's first national ranked win over Notre Dame, Hooks had 32 points on 10-of-23 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 from three and 10-of-14 from the free throw line. Hooks pulled down eight boards, including three on the offensive side against the Fighting Irish. In Ohio's opener against Liberty, Hooks added 18 points and seven rebounds. Hooks averaged 25 points and 7.5 rebounds over the two games.
Other Nominees
Micaela Kelly, Central Michigan
Guard, Senior, Detroit, Mich. (Martin Luther King)
Central Michigan senior guard Micaela Kelly picked up right where she left off in the Chippewas 93-75 season-opening loss to No.25-ranked Michigan to open the 2020-21 campaign. The Detroit native poured in 30 points to lead the team and shot 50 percent (11-of-22) from the floor. Kelly also finished with a team-best five assists and brought down three boards in the loss.
Ce'Nara Skanes, Eastern Michigan
Forward, Redshirt Sophomore, Oklahoma City, Okla. (Putnam City West)
Redshirt sophomore Ce’Nara Skanes had a debut week to remember for Eastern Michigan. Skanes began the 2020-21 campaign with an impressive performance at Southern Illinois, Nov. 25. In that performance, her first as an Eagle, she recorded 11 points and nine rebounds, which tied for the team lead. She added two blocks and one steal in that performance. Her follow up performance, against UIC, Nov. 29, was even more eye-popping. In that game, Skanes dominated every aspect. Unstoppable on offense, she recorded 30 points on 14-of-25 (56%) shooting. That performance is the first 30-point game by an Eagle since Feb. 8, 2020, when Jenna Annecchiarico dropped 31 on Western Michigan. Additionally, the scoring feat is tied for third-best by any player in the MAC this season. Skanes is the youngest player in the conference to score 30 points in a game this season. In addition to her point-scoring, Skanes added 11 boards to notch her first-career double-double. Skanes is second in the conference with a 10.0 rebounds per game average. Skanes is also first in the MAC and 59th nationally in blocked shots (3), first in the MAC and 15th nationally in field goals made (18), first in the MAC and 48th nationally in rebounds (20), and first in the MAC with one double-double.
Quinesha Lockett, Toledo
Guard/Forward, Sophomore, Omaha, Neb. (Benson)
Sophomore Quinesha Lockett tallied 16 of her career-high 22 points after intermission to lead Toledo to a 71-59 victory against Oakland in Sunday's season opener. Lockett, who also collected a collegiate-best four steals, finished 10-of-15 from the field and 2-of-5 from the free throw line to top the 20-point barrier for the second time as a Rocket. The 2020-21 team captain also posted a squad-best +23 plus/minus, helping the Midnight Blue & Gold win its season opener for the fourth time in the last five seasons.
Jordyn Dawson, Akron
Forward, Senior, Huntington, W.Va.
Akron senior F Jordyn Dawson turned in a strong opening performance for the Zips registering team-high marks in scoring (19), rebounds (12), steals (4) and assists (3) to lead her squad to a 96-61 victory over Bluefield State. She finished the contest shooting nearly 54 percent (.538) from the field, including connecting on 2-of-3 attempts from beyond the arc. The double-double was the eighth of her Zips' career and first this season.
Chelby Koker, NIU
Guard, Sophomore, Racine, Wis. (Shoreland Lutheran)
Chelby Koker led NIU with a career-high 21 points and three steals in the Huskies' season-opener against IUPUI on Wednesday. She was also one of three Huskies to have six rebounds. Koker scored 11 of her 21 points in the third quarter.
Lexi Fleming, Bowling Green
Guard, Freshman, Cincinnati, Ohio (Mercy McAuley)
Bowling Green freshman guard Lexi Fleming did something no other Falcon freshman has ever done. Fleming scored a game-high 24 points in her collegiate debut, leading BG to a 70-60 win over Valparaiso Sunday afternoon. BGSU's statistical records go back to the mid-1970s, and in that time, no BG freshman had ever scored as many as 24 points in her first-ever game. Fleming also had six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Her first steal came on BG's first defensive possession of the game, as she deflected a pass, grabbed the ball and sailed in for a layup and the game's first two points. Fleming had four points in the first quarter and seven in the second for a game-high 11 points at the half. Then, after Valpo had cut a 10-point BG lead to just a single point after three quarters, Fleming keyed a 13-0 run to begin the fourth period. That was part of a larger 19-1 run which saw Fleming score eight points in that time. She wound up with 11 points in the fourth quarter alone. Fleming shot nearly 54% from the field and hit 8-of-10 free-throw attempts in the win.
Katie Davidson, Miami
Guard, Freshman, Indianapolis, Ind. (Lawrence North)
In her first career game, Katie David recorded a double-double in a loss versus No. 22 Notre Dame. The freshman had 16 points and 10 rebounds, which included seven offensive boards.
Thelma Dis Augustsdottir, Ball State
Forward, Junior, Keflavik, Iceland
Junior forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir shined early on in the Cardinals season opener Wednesday at Milwaukee, she scored the first two points and led BSU the remainder of the contest. Agustsdottir continued to play strong throughout the entire 40 minutes of action, helping Ball State comeback in the fourth frame to take the lead over the Panthers. Agustsdottir led the Cardinals with 19 points and seven rebounds. She also drained 3-of-6 from behind the arc and went perfect 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
