A-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Dana Mitchell - St. Bonaventure
Sophomore, Forward, 6-1
Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury HS
Mitchell guided the Bonnies to a 71-65 win over Binghamton on Dec. 29 ... posted her second straight 20-point contest with 28 points ... added 10 rebounds for her third double-double ... connected on 10-of-14 shots from the field as well as a 8-for-9 performance from the stripe ... has led the Brown and White in scoring in every game this season but one ... 13 straight games in double digits ... leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring and 20-point efforts.
A-10 ROOKIES OF THE WEEK
Kristin Daugherty - Dayton
Freshman, Guard, 6-0
Fresno, Ohio/Riverview HS
Daugherty took home MVP honors at the Inaugural Dayton Flyer Classic after averaging 15.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in helping the Flyers to two more wins ... tallied a career-high 26 points on 5-for-8 shooting from three-point range in the 86-71 Championship game win over Central Michigan on Dec. 30 ... made 9-of-15 shots overall and scored 14 of her 26 points after halftime ... added seven rebounds in the title game ... has tallied 20 points or more in two of her last three games ... third Rookie of the Week honor.
Ta'Shia Phillips - Xavier
Freshman, Center, 6-6
Indianapolis, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit HS
Phillips averaged team highs with 15.5 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game while shooting a blistering 78.9 percent from the floor in a 2-0 week for Xavier ... registered her seventh double-double of the season with a 16-point, 12-rebound effort in Xavier's 84-59 win at Akron on Dec. 28 ... followed with 15 points and eight rebounds in only 20-minutes of action in XU's 79-54 win over Mercer on Dec. 30 ... leads the A-10 in both field goal percentage (.618) and rebounds per game (12.2) ... sixth Rookie of the Week honor.
NEWS FROM AROUND THE ATLANTIC 10
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
- Saint Louis sophomore guard Katie Paganelli averaged 15 ppg and 3.5 rpg in a 1-1 week for SLU at the UTPA Battle of the Border. Freshman teammate Lauren Woods avearged 16.5 points and 2.5 rebounds and earned All-Tournament honors
- Charlotte sophomore forward Erin Floyd earned her second double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in CHA's lone win on the week
- Dayton senior forward Nikki Oakland earned All-Tournament honors with 14 ppg and 7 rpg
- Xavier sophomore forward Amber Harris averaged 19.5 ppg and 8 rpg in a 2-0 week for XU
- Temple senior guard Ashley Morris averaged 16.5 ppg in a 1-1 week for TU
- GW junior forward Jessica Adair scored 25 points and had five rebounds and four blocks in a GW win over Pepperdine (12/28)
- La Salle senior forward Carlene Hightower scored 28 points and added six rebounds and five steals in an overtime win over Sacred Heart (12/27)
- Fordham freshman Megan Mahoney earned All-Tournament team honors after averaging 20 points in two games for the Rams.
GW IN THE RANKS
The George washington Colonials returned to the Associated Press Top 25 rankings on Dec. 24 and are 22nd this week after upsetting #10 Texas A&M. The Colonials were ranked in the AP top 25 for 21 straight weeks dating back to week three of 2006-07 before dropping out on Dec. 4. The ESPN/USA Today Coaches' Top 25 poll listed the Colonials at No. 22 for the second consecutive week on Dec. 17. In the preseason, the Colonials were ranked No. 10 in Slam Magazine, No. 11 in the Sporting News, No. 13 in Lindy's and No. 24 in Athlon Sports.
RANKED WINS
Temple, Xavier, George Washington and Saint Joseph's are the four A-10 teams to have beaten a ranked opponent so far this season. Most recently, Saint Joseph's upset #15 Auburn, 71-69, in the championship game of the Hawk Classic (12/29). The Hawks have won four of their last eight games versus ranked opponents with its most recent win over #15 Auburn. They are 31-104 all-time versus ranked foes. #22 George Washington upset #10 Texas A&M, 66-65, in overtime in DC. GW improved to 15-25 all-time against ranked opponents at home, 15-12 under McKeown and 12-6 since 1997. Temple topped then-#22/20 Purdue 61-47 on Nov. 24 in St. Thomas. Temple is now 10-80 versus ranked teams and the Purdue win was the last over a ranked opponent for TU since Jan. 19, 2006 , when they topped then #9 Rutgers, 48-47. Finally, Xavier defeated #24 NC State in Raleigh, 51-49, on Dec. 4. Xavier moved to 6-17 all-time versus ranked teams and snapped a 10-game losing streak against ranked squads. Its last win over a ranked team was the 2001 NCAA Mideast Regional Semifinal upset over No. 3 Tennessee.
WOODEN WATCH
Senior guard Kimberly Beck of George Washington and sophomore forward Amber Harris of Xavier are two of 30 student-athletes named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Watch List.
NAISMITH WATCH
GW's Kimberly Beck was also named one of 50 finalists for the prestigious Naismith Trophy. CLASS AWARD NOMINEES: George Washington senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence and La Salle senior forward Carlene Hightower are among 30 national nominees for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in women's basketball. The award is presented annually to an NCAA Division I senior women's basketball player who exemplifies being a total student-athlete.
A-10 HIGHLIGHTS
- After opening the season at 0-2, Dayton is second nationally with the longest win streak in the nation with 13 straight victories. Only Arkansas (14) has more consecutive wins. The streak is the longest under head coach Jim Jabir and tied for the longest in school history
- St. Bonaventure is off to the Bonnies' best start in school history with an 11-2 mark through 13 games. The Bonnies have won six road games straight and seven overall
- GW moved to 15-25 at home against ranked teams after knocking off #10 Texas A&M, 66-65, in overtime on Dec. 21
- Temple has played five Top 25 teams, four of which are ranked in the Top 10, and will now face #6 Rutgers on Dec. 30 to continue the NCAA Championship caliber schedule
- Xavier freshman Ta'Shia Phillips has earned six of the first eight Rookie of the Week honors. She entered the week ranked second in the nation in rebounds with 12.7 boards per game and recorded her second 20-rebound performance on Dec. 9
LEAGUE STREAKS
- Dayton has won 13-straight contests, seven at home, since opening 0-2 which ranks second in the nation ... The Flyers have hit at least one three point shot in 202 consecutive games dating back to 2001, which leads the A-10
- St. Bonaventure has won six consecutive games, all on the road and and have seven road wins overall
- GW has won five straight home games
- TU won its record-tying 15th-straight Big Five victory with a win over Villanova (12/21).
COED STREAKS,
Dayton has the longest combined men's and women's basketball streak in the country. With 13 straight women's wins and 10 straight men's wins, Dayton's 23 straight basketball wins is four better than Kansas.
THE ASSISTS CHASE
GW senior All-American Kimberly Beck has led the A-10 in assists at the end of every season since her freshman year and is hoping to become just the second player since Penn State's Suzie McConnell (`88) to lead the league all four years. The point guard helped her cause by posting back-to-back double-digit assist totals on Nov. 23 (10) and Nov. 24 (12), and now ranks first in the Conference so far with 6.2 assists per game. Right on her heels? Junior guard Kristi Little (6.1 apg) of Duquesne, coached by first-year head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio.
MAKING HISTORY
George Washington senior point guard Kimberly Beck broke a 22-year program record. After six assists versus #10 Texas (12/21), Beck now has 593 career assists breaking the program mark of 580 set by Kathy Marshall in 1985. Beck's career assists are the 10th most in Atlantic 10 Conference history and on pace for seventh all-time in league annals.
RIVAL ROOKIES
Last season, then-freshman Amber Harris of Xavier set an A-10 record for the most Rookie of the Week awards in any sport after being named Rookie of the Week 12 times in 2006-07. Current freshman teammate Ta'Shia Phillips is on pace to surpass that record having received six of the first eight Rookie of the Week honors. The weekly awards will be given for a total of 17 weeks this season. Phillips ranks second nationally in rebounding (12.2 rpg) and leads the league with seven double-doubles. She is averaging a double-double with 14.2 points per game. The BIG 5-0-0: In his 22nd year as head coach and 19th year at GW, Joe McKeown is just eight wins shy of 500 for his career. McKeown is the all-time leader in wins in the A-10 with 422 at GW. His 68 other wins came in three seasons at New Mexico State from 1987-89.
1,000-POINT CLUB
Three A-10 players each notched their 1,000th career point in their opening games on Nov. 9. George Washington senior Kimberly Beck, Massachusetts senior Pam Rosanio and senior forward Christina Campion of Richmond all joined their team's respective 1,000 point clubs. Since then, senior forward Carlene Hightower tallied her 1,000th career point on Nov. 19. Charlotte senior guard Sabrina Gregory became the 15th player in 49ers history on Nov. 21 to earn her 1,000th career point. Senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence became the 22nd member of GW's 1,000th point club on Nov. 24.
A-10 LEADERS
- Xavier freshman
forward Ta’Shia Phillips has seven
double-doubles to lead the Conference ... Phillips grabbed a schoolrecord
20 rebounds on two different
occasions (last 12/9) so far this season.
The last time an A-10 player besides
Phillips grabbed 20 or more rebounds
was on March 17, 2007 when Jessica
Adair (GW) had 21 boards in an NCAA
Tournament win
- Junior guard Kristi Little (3.31 spg) of
Duquesne is the early defensive leader
having snagged a career-high nine steals
in the Dukes’ season-opener (11/9)
- Senior Jerri Taylor of Xavier hit a school record nine three-point field goals as the
league leader
- George Washington
senior point guard Kimberly Beck
posted a league-best 12 assists on Nov.
24. Beck’s 12 assists were the most by an
A-10 player since she registered 13 in
NCAA play in March of 2006 versus Old
Dominion
- Xavier’s 97 points
versus McNeese State (11/24) were the
most points scored under head coach
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Duquesne averaged 59 points per game to rank 13th last season and this season is averaging 70.8 through 11 games to rank second in the league. The difference is in the offense from junior guard Kristi Little. Little is third in the Conference averaging 17.6 points per game after scoring just 8.3 points per game last season.
KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE
The 49ers have led the Conference in scoring each year since joining the A-10 in 2005-06 averaging 70.9 points and 73.0 points per game, respectively. The streak was in jeopardy as they opened the season ranked eighth in the league, however, they've bounced back to form averaging 67.9 points per game this season to move to fifth overall.
THESE LADIES LOVE TO PLAY
The A-10 has seen 10 overtime games so far this season (3-7) but finished with a total of 15 overtime games last season (7-8). So far, Duquesne has played in four of those games, including one double-overtime. It was the first time since 1991 that the Dukes went to double-overtime. The Dukes are 1-3 in OT this year and 9-10 all-time.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY
Temple has led the league for the past three seasons in field goal percentage averaging .446 from the floor the last three years. A key factor for this has been the play of senior center Lady Comfort over the past three seasons. Comfort boasts a career average of .628 from the floor, including a career-high .635 in 2005-06. She currently leads the Owls in shooting (.485) and rebounding with 8.8 per game, and is second in scoring with 9.2 points per game.
PLAYING BIG
Early in the season, several A-10 players have quickly shown that you don't have to be "big" to play "big." Duquesne lists guard Kristi Little at 5-4, one of the shortest players in the league, and she is third in the Conference in scoring with 17.8 points per game. Temple freshman Ashley Morris, a 5-5 point guard, leads the Owls in scoring with 16.5 points per game while Rhode Island senior guard Safi Mojidi, 5-6, is the Ram's scoring leader at 13.3 points per game. Freshman guard Brittani Shells, 5-7, at Richmond scores 13.5 points per game, good for first on her team. Freshmen guards Megan Mahoney, 5-7, and Kristina Bell, 5-9, of Fordham are the scoring (13.2 ppg) leader and second in rebounding (6.1 rpg) for the Rams, respectively.
WORTH THE WAIT
SLU (5-9) was without the services of its 2006-07 leading scorer, sophomore guard Theresa Lisch (sister of the Billikens' junior guard Kevin Lisch), for the first eight contests. She sat out due to a broken finger, but has returned to the line-up and has led the Billikens to three wins in their last five contests averaging 14.4 points per game.
REGULAR SEASON ALL-TOURNEY HONORS
- GW senior guard Kimberly Beck was named the GW Thanksgiving Classic MVP (11/25). Junior teammate Jessica Adair earned All-Tournament team honors
- Senior guard Safi Mojidi of Rhode Island was named to the URI Shootout Invitational All-Tournament team (11/25)
- Freshman center Ta'Shia Phillips was honored as a National City Xavier Invitational All-Tournament team honoree (11/25)
- Senior guard Ashley Morris of Temple was a 2007 Paradise Jam All-Tournament team member (11/25)
- Fordham junior guard Annie Zopf (daughter of Duquesne all-american Bill Zopf) earned Miami Thanksgiving All-Tournament team honors (11/24)
- Richmond junior guard Johanna McKnight and sophomore forward Katie Holzer earned Lady Rebel Shootout All-Tournament team honors (11/24)
- St. Bonaventure sophomore Dana Mitchell was named the St. Bona Shootout MVP (11/17) and earned All-Tournament honors at the FAU Holiday Classic (12/2)
- Senior guard Kimberly Beck and junior forward Jessica Adair of GW were named to the Four Points by Sheraton Lady Privateer Invitational All-Tournament team (12/1)
- Senior guard Amy Wold of St. Joe's was named the Brown Basketball Classic MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament team by classmate Timisha Gomez. SJU won the Classic title (12/2)
- Saint Joseph's sophomore guard Amy Gillespie earned Hawkeye Challenge All-Tournament honors in Iowa (12/9)
- SJU senior guard Amy Wold was named the Hawk Classic MVP (12/29) while freshman Sarah Acker earned All-Tournament honors
- Dayton freshman Kristin Daugherty was named the Flyer Classic MVP (12/30) and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by fellow Flyers Kendel Ross and Nikki Oakland
- Rhode Island junior forward Sierra Cooper named Christmas City Classic MVP (12/30); senior guard Safi Mojidi named to the All-Tournament team
- Fordham freshman Megan Mahoney was named to Fordham Holiday Classic (12/30) All-Tournament team
- Saint Louis sophomore center Amanda Kemezys and freshman guard Lauren Woods were All-Tournament honorees at the UTPA Battle on the Border (12/29).
OFF AND RUNNING
The 49ers were chosen to represent the United States at the World University Games playing as Team USA in Bangkok, Thailand on August 7-18. The team finished in sixth place overall with a 4-3 record. Charlotte was chosen in the preseason by the league coaches to tie for second place in the standings.
A-10'S ALL-AMERICANS
Two A-10 players earned All-American status last year as Temple's Kamesha Hairston (`07) and George Washington senior Kimberly Beck were named honorable mention All-Americans by the Associated Press. Beck became just the third player in league history to lead the Conference in assists in three straight seasons and with one more year under her belt could become just the second player along with Suzie McConnell (`88) to have led the Conference in assists in all four seasons. Hairston became the second-straight A-10 player to be chosen in the first round of the WNBA draft (Connecticut Sun).
DID YOU KNOW?
- Since 2001, the A-10 has had three different schools ranked in the top 15 of the AP's Top 25 polls (George Washington, Temple, Xavier). Overall, seven different A-10 women's programs have graced the AP's top 15 and five have been in the top 10. George Washington peaked at No. 8 in 2007.
- Since 2003, the A-10 has had at least four schools earn postseason bids each year, including five schools for the last two seasons straight. Three A-10 schools earned NCAA bids in 2007 and 2005. George Washington was a No. 5 seed in the 2007 NCAA Championship and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
- Since the WNBA began in 1997, 13 A-10 players have been drafted, including five first round picks. The A-10 has had two first round picks in the last two years.
- The A-10 boasts two head coaches who have won gold medals at the Olympic Games in Dawn Staley (Temple) and Suzie McConnell-Serio (Duquesne). McConnell-Serio (`88), who played in the A-10 with Penn State, will be inducted into the women's basketball Hall of Fame in the spring of 2008 and holds the current NCAA record for career assists (1,307).
THE 2008 A-10 CHAMPIONSHIP
Saint Joseph's University was selected by Conference athletic directors to host the 2008 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship. The Championship, in its 26th season, will tip-off on Friday, March 7 and conclude on Monday, March 10. The top-12 teams in the league qualify for the tournament with four teams receiving first round byes. The quarterfinals will be played on March 8 and the two semifinal matchups will take place on Sunday, March 9 and will be televised by CSTV. The Championship game will be played on Monday, March 10 with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth into the 2008 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. Xavier is the defending Atlantic 10 Champions.