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 Rookie of the Week Katie Rutan |
Feb. 1, 2010
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Brittany Ford - Saint Joseph's
Senior, Forward, Wilmington, Del./Concord HS
Ford spearheaded Saint Joseph's perfect 2-0 week as she averaged 19 points per game, while shooting an impressive 76.2 percent (16-21) from the field ... added nine rebounds, three steals, three blocks and one assist on the week ... tallied a team-high 15 points and had a key block in the final minute in SJU's win at La Salle on Jan. 27 ... followed with a 19-point second-half performance in leading the Hawks past George Washington, 63-47, on Jan. 30.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Katie Rutan - Xavier
Freshman, Guard, Ambler, Pa./Springside HS
Rutan averaged 14.5 points per game and shot a blistering 61.5 percent from 3-point range to pace the No. 10 Musketeers to a perfect 2-0 week ... started the week with a 13-point, three-rebound night in Xavier's 88-60 win at Rhode Island on Jan. 27 ... was 3-of-7 from long range and also posted one assist, one steal and one block against the Rams ... followed with a 16-point effort in the Musketeers 74-49 victory over Dayton on Jan. 30 ... was an unconscious 5-of-6 from long-range and even connected on a rare four-point play en route to the victory ... the win over UD marked the 15th time this season Rutan has connected on multiple 3-point field goals ... is only three 3-point field goals shy of breaking Xavier's freshman record for 3-pointers made in a single season.
A-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Charlotte's Ashley Spriggs averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in a 2-0 week for the 49ers ... Dayton's Justine Raterman led Dayton to a 75-53 win over Duquesne with 17 points on .636 shooting (7-of-11) ... Fordham's Randall Hurst averaged 12.0 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last week ... George Washington's Tiana Myers averaged a team-leading 17.0 points along with 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals in leading GW to a 1-1 week ... La Salle's Morgan Robertson averaged a team-best 12.5 points and nine rebounds, which included her 14th career double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds versus Saint Joseph's ... Massachusetts Megan Zullo shot .462 from three point range on the week (6-13), while averaging 11.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Minutewomen ... Rhode Island's Megan Shoniker averaged 22 points and four rebounds a game for the Rams ... Saint Bonaventure's Jessica Jenkins averaged 14.0 points in St. Bonaventure's two victories including a tightly-matched game at Temple ... Temple's Jasmine Stone averaged a double-double of 13.5 points and 13 rebounds as Temple went 1-1 for the week with a win at Saint Louis and a loss to St. Bonaventure ... Xavier's Ta'Shia Phillips averaged 16.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game in a perfect 2-0 week for the Musketeers.
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NATIONAL STATISTICS
Six Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball programs are ranked among the national statistical leaders in nine categories, according to the NCAA.
Dayton is 14th in rebounding margin (8.9) and 24th in scoring margin (14.6).
Massachusetts is 21st in free-throw percentage (75.1), while Richmond is 23rd in steals per game (11.3).
St. Bonaventure is fourth in free-throw percentage (79.6), seventh in scoring defense (52.6), seventh in three-point field goal percentage (39.7) and 17th in field-goal percentage (45.6).
Temple is 14th in scoring defense (53.9) and 25th in field-goal percentage defense (35.4).
Xavier is 10th in rebounding margin (9.3), 14th in three-point field goal percentage (38.7), 16th in field-goal percentage defense (35.2), 19th in scoring margin (16.7) and 22nd in blocks per game (5.3).
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
A-10 teams combined to post a 53-32 record on their home hardwoods against non-conference teams this season - a winning percentage of .624.
NON-CONFERENCE FOES
The A-10 recorded a 113-92 (.551) mark against non-conference opponents this season, includings wins over Arizona State, USC, Michigan State, Purdue and Villanova.
OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION
A-10 teams are putting up impressive numbers each night on the hardwood, as Dayton (71.2) and Xavier (74.0) are averaging more than 70 points per game, while The Flyers +(12.7) and Musketeers (+17.2), along with St. Bonaventure (+12.0) are outscoring their opponents by double-figures.
IN THE POLLS
Xavier is back among the Top 10 teams in the nation, according to both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls released this week. The league-leading Musketeers, who are winners of six-straight, moved up one slotto No. 10 in the AP Poll and remain 10th in the Coaches Poll for the second-straight week.
Dayton and Temple continue to garner national recognition, as the two teams are receiving votes in both polls.
Duquesne received votes in Associated Press Poll for the second-straight week. The Dukes earned three nods, marking the most votes for the program since Dec. 18, 1998 when they received 12.
Seven league teams have been nationally ranked or have received votes this season -- Charlotte, Dayton, Duquesne, Richmond, St. Bonaventure, Temple and Xavier. Moreover, the A-10 had two teams in the Top 25 polls for the first time since 2006, as both Xavier and Dayton were listed simultaneously for two straight-weeks. During the 2006 season, both Temple (#21) and George Washington (#25) were ranked at the same time.
Xavier is the most recent A-10 team to be ranked among the Top 10 nationally, having reached No. 8 in both Top 25 polls earlier this season. A league team has not been listed that high since George Washington, which peaked at No. 8 in the AP Poll during their impressive 2006-07 campaign.
RPI RATINGS
According to The RPI Report, the Atlantic 10 Conference is ranked ninth among the 33 women's basketball conferences in the country. The A-10 is behind the Big 12, Big East,Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Southeastern, Pacific 10, Mountain West and Colonial Athletic Conferences. The League reached as high as seventh this season.
As a Conference, the A-10 is ranked ninth in regards to its non-conference strength of schedule. Xavier boasts the toughest non-league schedule, ranking 45th nationally. Six A-10 programs are rated among the top 100 teams in the nation, according to NCAA's RPI ratings, including Xavier (13), Temple (39), Dayton (50), Richmond (69), St. Bonaventure (79) and Duquesne (90).
TOUGH SCHEDULES
A-10 teams have played extremely competitive non-conference schedules this season, which included 18 games against ranked teams. Of the 61 teams -- excluding Charlotte, Temple and Xavier -- that competed in the 2009 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament, the A-10 went head-to-head with 31 of them on 48 separate occasions during its non-conference slate.
EXTRA TIME
A-10 teams have competed in 11 extra session games against non-conference opponents this season -- posting a 7-4 record in those contests.
MAKING STRIDES
With its 57-47 victory over La Salle, the Rams recorded their first two-game conference home win-streak since 2005-06. That year, Fordham posted wins over Duquesne (Feb. 17) and Saint Louis (Feb. 26) when they defeated three of their last four opponents to secure a spot in the 2006 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The victory also marks the only time the Rams have registered two-straight wins over the Explorers as Fordham won their last meeting, 48-45, on Feb. 7, 2009, and the first time the Rams recorded two Atlantic 10 wins since 2005-06.
LEADING THE WAY
Xavier's 6-0 start in Atlantic 10 play is its third best start in school history. XU's best start in history is 12-0, which was set by last year's team. The Musketeers completed the month of January with a 7-0 record, which marked XU's only perfect January in school history. Xavier improved to 58-12 when playing as a ranked team.
NOTEWORTHY
>> All of St. Bonaventure's victories have been by a margin of 10 or more. The Bonnies win at Temple, Jan. 30, marked the first for the Brown and White at Liacouras Arena since 2000.
>> Saint Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin earned her 200th career win with the Hawks' victory over GW on Jan. 30.
>> Richmond's Brittani Shells scored a league-high 32 points against Morgan State on Dec. 30. She currently leads the league in scoring.
>>Dayton's Casey Nance, reached the 100-block milestone after notching three in the Flyers' game at George Washington, Jan. 9. In just her second season of action, she is now fourth all-time at the institution.
>> Duquesne head women's basketball coach Suzie McConnell-Serio has been named a finalist for the 2009 Dapper Dan Sportswoman of the Year. McConnell-Serio was the first-ever recipient of the Sportswoman of the Year in 1999 after guiding Oakland Catholic to its first WPIAL Championship as well as leading the WNBA's Cleveland Rockers with 4.2 assists per game.
The winner will be determined by newspaper ballot or online. Dapper Dan Charities' executive committee will select the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year from the top vote-getters.
>> La Salle's Jamie Walsh set a new school record (176) for made three-point field goals, as the Downingtown High School alum, surpassed Meghan Wilkinson (2001-05) on the institution's all-time list with her three trifectas against Richmond on Jan. 9.
>> With its 72-63 victory over No. 20/18 Pittsburgh, Duquesne ended an 11-game losing streak against ranked teams - the last victory over a ranked team was a 57-56 win over No. 23 George Washington on Jan. 8, 1994. Pitt is also the highest-ranked team the Dukes have ever beaten.
>>Dayton's Jim Jabir reached a coaching milestone on Dec. 21, as the Flyers gave their leader his 100th victory at the institution and 320th of his career with an 84-81 double-overtime thriller over Butler.
>> UMass picked up its first win against Boston University since 1993 -- a 79-73 overtime victory on Nov. 15. It was the first overtime game for the Minutewomen since Jan. 9, 2007 at Rhode Island (71-69 Loss) and the first at the Mullins Center since Jan. 16, 2003, an 89-80 win over Temple.
MIDSEASON WOODEN AWARD LIST
Xavier University women's basketball star Amber Harris has been selected as one of 21 candidates for the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the top women's basketball player in the country by the Los Angeles Athletic Club's John R. Wooden Award committee.
Harris was also honored on the Wooden Award Preseason Watch List prior to the 2007-08 season. A two-time All-Atlantic 10 First Team selection, Harris leads the Musketeers in scoring and is second in rebounds per game. The Indianapolis native has posted three-straight double-doubles and was recently named Atlantic 10 and National Jesuit Player of the Week for her outstanding play.
Harris is one of just four student-athletes to be selected onto the Midseason Top 20 who do not play in a power conference.
Just as players who are not on the preseason list are eligible for the Midseason Top 20, players who do not make the Midseason list are still eligible for the national ballot, which will be selected in March and will consist of approximately 20 players, chosen by the Wooden Award National Advisory Board Committee. Players selected to the national ballot will have to be certified by their university as making progress toward graduation and maintaining a cumulative 2.0 GPA.
NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD
Richmond junior guard Brittani Shells was one of 12 women's basketball players nominated to the 2010 Players Making the Buzz list for the Nancy Lieberman Award. Shells currently leads the A-10 in scoring.
The annual award recognizes the nation's top point guard in Division I women's basketball. The criteria for the award is floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman during her career. The award winner will be chosen by sportswriters in April.
TITLES-A-PLENTY
Five Atlantic 10 Conference Women's Basketball programs have claimed various tournament titles during the non-conference season, including Dayton, Xavier, Duquesne, Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's.
The Flyers were the first team to bring home the hardware for the league after going 3-0 and claiming the title at Purdue's Basketball Traveler's Classic on Nov. 22. Head Coach Jim Jabir's squad picked up wins over Georgetown (62-59), then-No. 23 Purdue (56-53) and Seattle (75-37).
The last time Dayton won an in-season tournament was 2005 when the Flyers captured the Tulane Basketball Classic in New Orleans, La.
During the Thanksgiving break, Xavier and Duquesne were victorious in their events, as the Musketeers picked up the Freeport Division title at the Junkanoo Jam in the Bahamas, while the Dukes claimed top honors at UNC Wilmington's Hampton Inn Invitational.
The Junkanoo Jam was comprised of three four-team brackets and XU took home the championship crown after downing then No. 18/23 Kansas (76-71) and Minnesota (71-56).
Duquesne's title is the seventh tournament championship in program history. The Dukes were winners of the Bucknell Tournament in 1983, the Wagner Tournament in 1987, the Red Flash Classic in 1993, the State Farm Classic in 1998, the Lady Luck Classic in 2002 and the Cornell Classic in 2006.
For the second-straight year, Massachusetts claimed the Brown Classic crown, with wins over host Brown (69-58) and Quinnipiac (82-66). Most recently and for the seventh time in the program's history, Saint Joseph's won its own tournament -- the 19th Annual Hawk Classic -- with victories over Brown (65-36) and Boston University (71-58).
INDIVIDUAL TOURNEY HONORS
Numerous Atlantic 10 women's hoopsters have garnered individual recognition at various tournaments this season, while four standouts have been named Most Valuable Player at their respective events.
Dayton's Kristin Daugherty was named the MVP at the Purdue/Basketball Travelers Classic, Nov. 20-22, while teammates Justine Raterman and Brittany Wilson were All-Tournament team selections...Kristin Daugherty and Raterman were honored for the second time this season, as the duo was named to the Blue Sky Classic All-Tournament team, Dec. 29-30.
Duquesne's Alex Gensler captured MVP honors and teammate Samantha Pollino was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2009 Hampton Inn Invitational Championship at UNC Wilmington, Nov. 27-28.
Fordham's Randall Hurst was named to the All-Tournament Team at Florida Atlantic's Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28.
La Salle's Jamie Walsh was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Hawk Holiday Classic, Dec. 28-29.
Massachusetts' Kristina Danella and Nicole Jones were named to the All-Tournament at the Wyndham Miami Thanksgiving Tournament, Nov. 27-28. Danella, along with Diatiema Hill and Megan Zullo, was also named to the All-Tournament team at the Brown Bear Classic, Dec. 5-6.
Rhode Island's Lindsay Harris was Blue Sky Classic All-Tournament team, Dec. 29-30.
Richmond's Brittani Shells garnered All-Tournament team honors at the WBCA Classic, Nov. 27-29, before being named to the All-Tournament team at the St. Peter's Classic, Dec. 29-30.
St. Bonaventure's Dana Mitchell and Megan Van Tatenhove were named to the All-Tournament Team at the Christmas City Classic, Dec. 28-29.
Saint Joseph's Ashley Prim was named MVP at The 19th Annual Hawk Classic, Dec. 28-29, while teammate Ashley Logue earned All-Tournament Team honors.
Saint Louis' Amanda Kemezys was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Courtyard by Marriott Los Angeles Westside Thanksgiving Classic, Dec. 27-28.
Xavier's April Phillips was named MVP and Amber Harris was named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2009 Junkanoo Jam (Freeport Division), Nov. 26-28.
MILESTONE WIN
Rhode Island head coach Cathy Inglese captured her 400th career victory on Jan. 2, as the Rams earned a 65-60 win over Albany. Currently, Inglese owns a 400-256 all-time coaching record which includes 273 wins at Boston College and 120 at Vermont.
JABIR, MCGUFF ON NATIONAL PODCAST
Dayton head coach Jim Jabir and Xavier head coach Kevin McGuff were featured on "Shootaround with Beth and Debbie," a weekly national women's basketball podcast hosted by ESPN analysts Beth Mowins and Debbie Antonelli. The interview can be viewed via the WBCA website -- wbca.org.
BIG LEAGUE WINS
Atlantic 10 teams have posted five wins over nationally ranked foes this season, including then listed No. 10/10 Michigan State, No. 14/7 Arizona State, No. 18/23 Kansas, No. 23 Purdue and No. 20/18 Pittsburgh.
Dayton stunned visiting Michigan State, 77-74, in its 2009-10 home opener on Nov. 13. The victory marked only the second time head coach Jim Jabir coached his Flyers to a win over a nationally-ranked foe. UD then followed with a narrow 56-53 victory over Purdue, Nov. 21.
Xavier captured a 59-48 victory over Pac-10 member Arizona State on Nov. 21 at home, before downing the Jayhawks, Nov. 25 in the Bahamas.
Duquesne defeated intra-city rival Pittsburgh, 72-63, Dec. 29 on the Panthers' campus. The win halted a four-game losing streak against Pittsburgh, last defeating the Panthers on Dec. 7, 2004.
1,000 POINT CLUB
Six A-10 standouts have reached the 1,000 point scoring mark this season, including Richmond's Brittani Shells, Saint Louis' Katie Paganelli and Amanda Kemezys, along with Xavier's Ta'Shia Phillips, Temple's LaKeisha Eaddy and Charlotte's Aysha Jones.
Shells tallied her 1,000th point as Richmond rolled past Clemson, 86-67, in the opening game of the WBCA Classic on Nov. 27 at Gampel Pavilion. Shells became the 17th Spider to notch 1,000 points in Richmond women's basketball history.
Paganelli became the 14th SLU women's basketball player to reach 1,000 career points after notching 15 against Evansville on Dec. 6, while teammate Amanda Kemezys joined Paganelli in the distinguished club after notching 17 points against Oakland on Dec. 17.
Phillips registered her 1,000th career point against Michigan State on Dec. 9, while Eaddy scored her 1,000th point against St. Bonaventure on Jan. 30. Eaddy now ranks 17th all-time at Temple in career points.
Jones left her mark on the Charlotte record book with her 1,000 career point against Saint Louis on Jan. 30.
