RICHMOND, Va. (January 9, 2017) – College of Charleston senior
Breanna Bolden was named the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Women’s Basketball Player of the Week while James Madison’s
Kamiah Smalls earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors for the third time this season
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Breanna Bolden • College of Charleston
Senior | Guard | Edgewater, Md./South River
Senior Breanna Bolden powered the Cougars to 2-1 opening week of conference play, averaging 22.0 points and 12.0 rebounds. Bolden logged a pair of double-doubles and very nearly registering a third while adding nine steals and eight assists for the week. Bolden notched 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in the road-affair with first-place Elon, and followed that up by setting a career-high with 15 boards and tallying 24 points to help snap William & Mary’s 11-game winning streak. Bolden wrapped the week up with 19 points and 12 rebounds in the victory over UNCW. Bolden leads the CAA in steals (49) and is second in the league in scoring (17.8ppg) and fifth in rebounding (7.9rpg) this season.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Kamiah Smalls • James Madison University
Freshman | Guard | Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann Goretti
In her first week of CAA play, rookie Kamiah Smalls shined for James Madison. She averaged 11.3 points on 65.2 percent shooting (15-for-23) and 6.3 rebounds to help the Dukes to a 2-1 week. She saw 78 minutes of court time last week, committing just two turnovers while dishing out four assists. She opened the week with a double-double (10pts, 10reb) in the victory over UNCW. She then went 5-for-7 from the floor in the win against Hofstra, coming away with 14 points and five rebounds. Against Towson, she went 5-for-7 from the field once more, tallying 10 points to go along with four boards and two assists. Smalls has reached double figures 11 times in 14 games to start her career and is averaging 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds this season.
#CAAHoops – The Week that Was
The first week of CAA play was a wild one. The week even had a weather postponement, as Hofstra and William & Mary could not play Sunday’s game due to the winter storm that hit the Mid-Atlantic.
Charleston (5-9; 2-1 CAA): The Cougars opened CAA play with a bang, going 2-1 and picking up wins over William & Mary and UNCW. Senior
Breanna Bolden averaged a double-double while
Tanisha Brown posted 13.0 points per game for the week.
Delaware (7-7; 1-2 CAA): The Blue Hens fell to William & Mary and Elon but picked up a road win at UNCW last week.
Nicole Enabosi averaged a double-double for the week with 14.0 points and 10.0 rebounds while
Sade Chatman added 12.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest.
Drexel (11-3; 2-1 CAA): The Dragons went 2-1 last week, topping Towson and Northeastern and falling to Elon
. Jessica Pellechio had a solid week Drexel, 11.3 points per game and notching her 1,000th career point during a 20-point performance at Northeastern.
Elon (11-4; 3-0 CAA): The Phoenix opened CAA play with a 3-0 record, downing Charleston, Drexel and Delaware.
Shay Burnett averaged 9.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists and posted back-to-back double-doubles. It’s the first time Elon has opened CAA play with a 3-0 record since joining the league.
Hofstra (7-6; 0-2 CAA): The Pride had a pair of tough losses, falling to Northeastern in overtime and at James Madison. Junior
Ashunae Durant averaged 13.0 points and 9.5 rebounds while
Sandra Dongmo posted 9.5 rebounds and 9.0 points per game.
James Madison (9-5, 2-1 CAA): The Dukes opened the week with wins over UNCW and Hofstra, but had their 22-game winning streak against league opponents snapped by Towson on Sunday.
Amber Porter averaged 15.0 points while
Kamiah Smalls averaged 11.3 points on 65.2 percent shooting for the week.
UNCW (5-9; 0-3 CAA): The Seahawks had a tough week, with losses to JMU, Delaware and Charleston.
Rebekah Banks grabbed 11 rebounds in every contest last week while
Jasmine Steele averaged 10.3 points per game.
Northeastern (6-9; 2-1 CAA): The Huskies opened CAA play with a 2-1 record, topping Hofstra and Towson before falling to Drexel.
Claudia Ortiz averaged 13.3 points and 9.7 rebounds while going 11-for-14 from the free throw line during the week.
Towson (8-6; 1-2 CAA): The Tigers bounced back from a pair of losses to Drexel and Northeastern and topped James Madison, 54-51, to close out the week. It was the first win over the Dukes since 2011.
Raven Bankston had a solid week, averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game while adding eight assists and eight steals
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William & Mary (11-2; 1-1 CAA): Senior
Alexandra Masaquel averaged a double-double as the Tribe split the opening week of CAA play. The senior scored 18.5 points, added 11.0 rebounds per game, while contributing four steals, four assists against Delaware and Charleston. Against the Cougars, Masaquel had a season-high 24 points and grabbed a career-high 17 boards.