BIG EAST Player of the Week
Maya Moore, Connecticut, Sr., F (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill)
Moore averaged 31.5 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 75.8 percent from the floor and 66.7 percent from 3-point range in a week that saw the Huskies defeat two top-10 teams. Moore had 29 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against No. 3 Duke. She was 11-of-17 from the floor and made three of her four attempts from 3-point range. Moore recorded 34 points, 11 rebounds and six assists against No. 9/13 DePaul. Moore was 14-of-16 from the field against the Blue Demons. Moore, who leads the country in scoring at 24.5 points per game also made nine of her 10 attempts from the charity stripe last week. Moore became the NCAA all-time record-holder with 135 career double-figure scoring games.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut, Fr., C (Port Jervis, N.Y./Minisink Valley)
Dolson averaged 14.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and shot 72.2 percent from the field to key the Huskies’ two victories over No. 3/3 Duke and No. 9/13 DePaul. Dolson had eight point and 12 rebounds against Duke, blocking two shots and dishing out two assists. She followed that up with a 21-point, six-rebound performance in UConn’s 86-66 victory over DePaul. The 21 points marked a career high and came on 10-of-13 shooting. Dolson’s 63.9 field goal shooting percentage leads the BIG EAST this season.
HONOR ROLL
Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown, So., G (Suffolk, Va.)
Averaged 17.5 ppg in a 2-0 week for Georgetown. Had 26 points, three assists and six steals in a win at Louisville on Feb. 1.
Monique Reid, Louisville, Jr. F (Louisville, Ky.)
Averaged 16.0 ppg and 10.5 rpg in a 1-1 week for the Cardinals. Had 20 points on 10-of-17 shooting and pulled down 13 rebounds in a win at Villanova on Feb. 6.
Tatiyiana McMorris, Marquette, Sr., G (Bronx, N.Y.)
Scored a game-high 19 points, including the game-winning 3-pointer, in a win against No. NR/23 St. John’s with 16 points coming in the second half. Had 11 points and five assists in a win over Villanova.
Natalie Novosel, Notre Dame, Jr., G (Lexington, Ky.)
Averaged 16.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.0 spg in a 2-0 week for the Irish. Had 13 points, four rebounds and three steals against Syracuse and a team-high 19 points, 12 in the second half, and eight rebounds against USF.
Taneisha Harrison, Pittsburgh, Sr., G (Bowie, Md.)
Averaged 18.5 ppg, four rebounds and two assists in a 2-0 week for Pittsburgh. Scored a career-high 30 points in an upset over No. 14/T15 West Virginia with five 3-pointers and seven rebounds. She had 15 of Pitt’s 29 first-half points.
**INSIDE THE BIG EAST NOTES**
MARQUETTE RANKS
Marquette landed in both national polls for the first time this season, earning the No. 23/24 ranking. The Golden Eagles have not been ranked since the end of the 2006-07 season. In their most recent game, Marquette senior Tatiyiana McMorris had a 3-pointer with three seconds remaining for the win against St. John’s on Feb. 5.
THE MOORE THE MERRIER
This week’s Player of the Week honor is Connecticut Maya Moore’s seventh of the season, tying the BIG EAST single-season record. The senior forward ties Louisville’s Angel McCoughtry, who earned the award seven times in 2008-09, and Connecticut’s Nykesha Sales (1997-98). Moore has won the award 11 times in her career.
BACKYARD BRAWL
Senior guard Taneisha Harrison netted a career-high 30 points as Pittsburgh upset No. 14/15 West Virginia 60-53 on Feb. 5 in the BIG EAST Television Game of the Week. The Panthers ended the Mountaineers 31-game home winning streak, the third-longest in the country. Pitt was the last team to win at the WVU Coliseum, beating WVU 70-62 on Feb. 24, 2009.
BIG EAST IS A BEAST
The BIG EAST has a league-record eight teams in this week’s ESPN-USA Today Coaches’ Poll, including Marquette who entered the poll for the first time this season. It is the highest number of BIG EAST teams to ever appear in the poll. In addition the league is one of only two conferences, along with the ACC, to have four teams with 20-or-more wins.
BIG EAST VS. TOP 10
The BIG EAST grabbed its seventh win over a team ranked in the top-10 of the Associated Press poll with UConn’s victory over No. 3/3 Duke on Jan. 31. The Huskies have accounted for three of the league’s seven wins along with notable victories from DePaul, Georgetown, Louisville and Syracuse. The BIG EAST is 7-11 this year against teams ranked in the AP top-10 and 14-15 against teams in the AP top-25.
