Nov. 19, 2012 BIG EAST Release in PDF

 

BIG EAST Player of the Week

Kayla Alexander, Syracuse, Sr., C (Milton, Ontario)

Alexander recorded a double-double in each of SU’s first three games to lead the Orange to a 3-0 start. She averaged 21.7 ppg and 11.7 rpg, while shooting 50 percent from the field. With a near triple-double in the season opening win against Fairleigh Dickinson (20 points, 10 rebounds, eight blocks), she became the all-time blocks leader in program history. She had a 26-point, 13-rebound performance at Cornell on Nov. 16, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 1,500 career points.

 

BIG EAST Freshman of the Week

Breanna Stewart, Connecticut, Fr., F (Syracuse, N.Y.)

Stewart averaged 16.0 ppg in 21 minutes per game in a 2-0 week for Connecticut. She shot 63-percent from the floor and 86-percent from the free throw line. In her debut as a Husky, she had 21 points, five rebounds and four steals against Charleston, going 8-of-11 from the floor. In a win at No. 16/13 Texas A&M, she recorded 11 points and six rebounds, connecting on 2-of-3 from 3-point range.

 

BIG EAST Honor Roll

Stefanie Dolson, Connecticut, Jr., C

Dolson had 24 points, six rebounds, five assist and three steals, shooting 73 percent from the floor to lead the Huskies past No. 16/13 Texas A&M on the road. In the season opener against Charleston, she had 11 points, eight assists and nine rebounds.

 

Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown, Sr., G

Rodgers averaged 26.3 ppg in a 2-1 season start, leading the Hoyas to their first Preseason WNIT semifinal appearance. She had 35 points to lead GU to a win against No. 11/10 Delaware and a pair of 22-point performances against Sacred Heart and at North Carolina.

 

Kayla McBride, Notre Dame, Jr., G

McBride averaged 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 2.5 steals per game with a .500 field goal percentage in a 2-0 start for the Irish. She had 16 points in a win against No. 19/21 Ohio State aboard the USS Yorktown.

 

Asia Logan, Pittsburgh, Jr., F

Logan averaged 20.7 ppg and 9.3 rpg, shooting 67 percent from the field in a 2-1 start for the Panthers. Against William & Mary, Logan had 36 points and 14 rebounds (12 on the offensive end). She shot 86 percent from the floor in a win against Siena.

 

Shenneika Smith, St. John’s, Sr., G

Smith averaged 20.5 ppg and 13.5 rpg, dishing out nine assists and grabbing eight steals in a 2-1 start for St. John’s. She shot 51 percent from the floor and added four blocks.

 

BIG EAST Notes

Stingy on the Points

DePaul held Howard to 18 first half points in a 68-51 win, the lowest amount they have held an opponent to since Dec. 7, 2009 when Loyola managed just 16 in the first half. St. John’s held the Hofstra to just 16 points in the second half of a 73-47 victory on Nov. 17. Syracuse held Cornell to just 12-for-49 shooting from the field (.245) and caused 26 turnovers as it allowed its lowest point total since Colgate recorded 32 points on December 31, 2011. UConn handed Texas A&M head coach Gary Blair the worst home loss since he began coaching the team in 2003 (81-50).  

 

Climbing the Charts

Rutgers senior Monique Oliver posted her first double-double with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 56-52 win against George Washington. Oliver swatted her 148th career block, moving her into a tie for fifth all-time at Rutgers with former Scarlet Knight Tammy Sutton-Brown (1997-2001). Tanya Hansen is above Oliver in fourth all-time on the Scarlet Knights’ blocks list with 245 career rejections.

 

Senior shooting guard Sugar Rodgers made history in the 63-48 loss to UNC, becoming the program’s all-time scoring leader. At 3:45, Rodgers hit a free throw which gave her 1,886 career points making her the program’s all-time scoring leader in just 101 games played. Rodgers led the Hoyas with 22 points and seven rebounds.

 

Syracuse’s Kayla Alexander became the all-time blocks leader in program history. She also had a 26-point, 13-rebound performance at Cornell on Nov. 16, becoming the fifth player in program history to reach 1,500 career points.

 

Four On Senior CLASS Award List

A quartet of BIG EAST stars who excel both on and off the court were selected as candidates today for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist.

 

Senior CLASS Award Candidates

Kayla Alexander, Syracuse

Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame

Anna Martin, DePaul

Sugar Rodgers, Georgetown