Laura Sweeney, Villanova, Jr., F (Marlton, N.J.)
Sweeney averaged a double-double in a 2-0 week for Villanova. She recorded 25.5 ppg and 12.0 rpg and has posted three 20-point games in the last four outings. Against Lehigh, Sweeney had a career-high 27 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. She scored eight of the team’s 10 points in the overtime. In a win against La Salle, she had 24 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 10-of-12 from the field and scoring 14 of the team’s first 20 points. Sweeney has made 23 of her last 24 free throws.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis, Fr., F (Anaheim, Calif.)
Mosqueda-Lewis shot 72.7 percent from the floor (8-of-11) and connected on 5-of-8 3-pointers to record 21 points in a win over Towson on Nov. 30. She added three assists and three steals in the win. The Anaheim Hills, Calif. native was just one 3-pointer shy of tying UConn’s record for most 3-pointers in a game. Her 21 points came in only 21 minutes of action. Mosqueda-Lewis is second on the team in 3-point field goal shooting at 43.8 percent and she is also third at 5.9 rebounds per game.
HONOR ROLL
Bria Hartley, Connecticut, So., G
Hartley scored 24 points, shooting 75 percent from the floor and adding five assists and four steals in a win against Towson. Hartley connected on 4-of-5 from 3-point range.
Anna Martin, DePaul, Jr., G
Martin had 27 points in a win over Loyola-Chicago for the Blue Demons. She shot 47.6 percent, made three 3-pointers and grabbed three steals.
Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown, Jr., G
Rodgers averaged 23.5 ppg in a 2-0 week for the Hoyas. She had 26 points and six steals at Coppin State and recorded 21 points and eight rebounds against Rider.
Teya Wright, Providence, R-Sr., F
Wright averaged 19.5 ppg and 14.5 rpg in a 1-1 week for Providence. She shot 72.7 percent, connecting on 16-of-22 shots for the week. She had 25 points and 12 rebounds against Fairfield and 14 points, 17 rebounds against Brown and was named to the Brown Bear All-Tournament team.
Monique Oliver, Rutgers, Jr., F/C
Oliver averaged 14.0 ppg and 8.5 rpg in a 2-0 week for Rutgers, which started the season 8-0. Oliver shot 63 percent from the floor, and had eight blocks and four steals in wins against Temple and Florida.
**INSIDE THE BIG EAST **
NAISMITH EARLY-SEASON WATCH LIST
The BIG EAST Conference leads the nation with 12 players recognized on the Naismith early-season Watch List. Three players from Connecticut (Stefanie Dolson, Bria Hartley, Tiffany Hayes) and Notre Dame (Skylar Diggins, Natalie Novosel, Devereaux Peters) topped the rankings, while Louisville (Monique Reid, Shoni Schimmel) and Rutgers (Khadijah Rushdan, April Sykes) had two selections. They were joined by DePaul’s Keisha Hampton, Georgetown’s Sugar Rodgers and Da’Shena Stevens from St. John’s. The award is presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. In late February, the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Board of Selectors will compile a mid-season team of the top 30 players in the nation. In March, the Naismith Trophy voting academy will vote to narrow the list to the four finalists.
TOP 10 MATCHUPS
No. 11/12 Rutgers will play at No. 9/9 Miami tonight at 7 p.m. No. 2/2 Connecticut will host No. 4/4 Texas A&M at the XL Center on Dec. 6 at 7 p.m. in a game televised on ESPN2. Both Connecticut and Rutgers are undefeated so far this season as the Huskies are 7-0 and the Scarlet Knights started the season off 8-0.
SCORING LEADER
DePaul junior Anna Martin scored 27 points in the Blue Demons’ win against Loyola-Chicago on Dec. 3. Martin leads the conference in scoring this season, averaging 21.9 points per game. Martin ranks 20th in the nation in scoring and fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (59.4).
AGAINST THE COMPETITION
BIG EAST teams hold a 94-36 record against nonconference opponents this season for a .723 winning percentage.
STINGY DEFENDERS
West Virginia has held all seven of its opponents under 60 points this season. The Mountaineers have a 5-2 record to start the season.
