Seton Hall's Samuels (DI), STAC's Erickson & NYU's Read (DII-III) Earn Weekly Nods
MBWA Players of the Week (1-29 to 2-4) 2017-18 / Week 8
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Samuels, Erickson, Read Named WBB Players of the Week
NEW YORK (Feb. 6, 2018) ---
Shadeen Samuels of Seton Hall in Division I and co-winners
Jenna Erickson of St. Thomas Aquinas and
Kaitlyn Read of NYU in Divisions II-III have been named Women’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Jan. 29-Feb. 4, are unique in that they encompass players from 74 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
The selection was the second this season for Read, who previously was honored on Dec. 19.
A 6-0 sophomore forward from Ossining, NY, Samuels averaged 16.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals in a 2-0 Big East weekend at home for The Hall (15-9). The Pirates beat Xavier 58-53 and then overcame an eight-point second-half deficit to defeat Butler 75-64.
Samuels registered an all-around 10 points, nine rebounds and a game-high five assists against Xavier. She next produced her second career double-double with career highs of 22 points --- on 7-of-11 shooting --- and 11 rebounds, plus three steals, against Butler. She was a major factor in The Hall’s comeback, scoring nine points in a 15-0 run during the fourth quarter that saw SHU rally from seven down to go up by as many as 14 in the final period.
A 5-4 senior guard from Melrose, NY, Erickson --- who also was named East Coast Conference player of the week --- averaged 24.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.6 steals as the Spartans (20-3) pushed their ECC-leading record to 12-1 with three homecourt victories. For the week she shot 55.3% (26-of-47) from the field, 46.6% (14-of-30) from 3-point range and was a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line.
Erickson first netted 11 points to go along with five assists and two steals in STAC’s 71-52 victory over Queens. In her next game, she scored a then career-high 29 points, to go along with five rebounds, four assists and three steals in a 73-54 triumph over Daemen. She shot 75% (12-of-16) from the field and 62.5% (5-of-8) from beyond the 3-point line in just 30 minutes of action in that game.
Erickson closed the week with a now career-high 32 point effort in a 71-53 win over Roberts Wesleyan, hitting 50% (11-of-22) from the floor overall, including 42.8% (6-of-14) from beyond the arc.
A 5-8 graduate student guard from University Park, TX, Read --- who also was named University Athletic Assn. player of the week --- virtually carried NYU (12-8) on her back for a pair of five-point UAA wins on the road this past weekend. She averaged 27.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.5 steals in a 68-63 win at Carnegie Mellon and in a come-from-behind 67-62 triumph at Case Western Reserve.
Read produced 24 points, six rebounds, six assists and three steals at Carnegie Mellon. At Case Western, she recorded 30 points, including eight in a crucial fourth quarter, along with nine rebounds as the Violets rallied for their fourth straight victory.
Players receiving MBWA Women’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham; Alisha Kebbe, St. John’s; DeAngelique Waithe, LIU Brooklyn; Camille Zimmerman, Columbia.
Players receiving MBWA Women’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Aliyah Dorsett, Lehman; Andrea Iavarone, St. Joseph’s-LI; Amber Jones, SUNY Purchase; Bria Smith, FDU-Florham.
Previous MBWA 2017-18 Women’s Players of the Week: Dec. 5, Samantha Cooper, Fairfield, Div. I; Charlotte Renker, Old Westbury, Divs. II-III … Dec. 12, Tyler Scaife, Rutgers, Div. I; Maia Hood, NYIT, Divs. II-III … Dec. 19, Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham, Div. I; Kaitlyn Read, NYU, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 9, G’mrice Davis, Fordham, Div. I; Gabrielle Harris, FDU-Florham, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 16, Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham, Div. I; Katie Sire, Montclair State, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 23, G’mrice Davis, Fordham, Div. I; Zhane Robinson, Bloomfield, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 30, Alana Gilmer, Marist, Div. I; Andrea Iavarone, St. Joseph’s-LI, Divs. II-III.