NEW YORK (March 3, 2015) ---
Tabatha Richardson-Smith of Seton Hall and
Emily Caswell of Caldwell have been named Women’s Division I and Divisions II-III Players of the Week, respectively, by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Feb. 23-March 1, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
It was the first time this season for each that Richardson-Smith and Caswell were named MBWA Players of the Week.
A 6-0 junior guard from Bay City, Texas, Richardson-Smith --- who also was named Big East player of the week --- led the Pirates (26-4) to a pair of conference victories on the road by averaging a team-high 24.5 points per game. She shot 56.3% (18-of-32) from the field and 53.3% (8-of-15) from 3-point range for the week.
Richardson-Smith racked up a team-high 24 points, shot 4-of-8 from 3-point range, and had a pair of blocks and a steal in a 77-60 win at Xavier. She registered 18 of her game-high 25 points in the second half and added six rebounds in an 85-76 triumph at Butler, including tallying eight of Seton Hall’s 18 points in the final 60 seconds to secure the victory. Her clutch basket and free throw late in the game lifted the Pirates from a one-point deficit to a 78-76 lead.
A 6-0 senior forward from Wakefield, R.I., Caswell --- who has been named Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference player of the year for 2014-15 --- helped the Cougars (19-10) extend their winning streak to eight with two overtime victories last week.
She recorded 25 points and 19 rebounds while making all 10 of her free throw attempts in an 87-82 double-overtime win over Bloomfield. Then she notched 25 points and 16 rebounds to propel Caldwell to an 87-85 CACC tournament quarterfinal win over Goldey-Beacom. She finished a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line for the week while continuing to lead the CACC in scoring (21.0) and rebounding (13.9).
The selections represent the final week of the 2014-15 MBWA players of the week program. The weekly honors will resume in late fall for next season.
Players receiving MBWA Women’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Madeline Blais, Marist; Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s; Kelsey Minato, Army; Casey Smith, Fairfield.
Players receiving MBWA Women’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Iyana Abrams, Baruch; Ashley Morris, Felician; Melissa Tobie, Montclair State.
Previous MBWA 2014-15 Women’s Players of the Week: Dec. 9, Betnijah Laney, Rutgers; Dec. 16, Kelsey Minato, Army; Dec. 23, Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s, and Alyson Caiazzo, Manhattanville (co-winners); Jan. 13, Ka-Deidre Simmons, Seton Hall, Div. I . . . Madison Rowland, Queens, Divs. II-III; Jan. 20, Ka-Deidre Simmons, Seton Hall, Div. I . . . Bria Smith, NJCU, Divs. II-III; Jan. 27, Kelsey Minato, Army, Div. I . . . Jah-Leah Ellis, College of New Rochelle, Divs. II-III; Feb. 3, Kelsey Minato, Army, and Samantha Cooper, Fairfield (co-winners), Div. I . . . Melissa Peng, NYU, Divs. II-III; Feb. 10, Betnijah Laney, Rutgers, Div. I . . . Kelly Fraser, Mount St. Vincent, Divs. II-III; Feb. 17, Jasmine Nwajei, Wagner, Div. I . . . Jah-Leah Ellis, College of New Rochelle, Divs. II-III . . . Feb. 24, Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s, Div. I . . . Christina Barone, Mount St. Vincent, Divs. II-III.
--- www.metbasketballwriters.org ---