Tuesday, November 27, 2007

MACON, Ga. – A week after notching the biggest win in program history with an upset of Miami, the Jacksonville women’s hoops squad tallied another upset, dropping Atlantic-10 foe Massachusetts 72-68 at the Lady Pirate Invitational this past weekend. Senior forward and Atlantic Sun Preseason Player of the Year Ashley Williams was instrumental in the upset, and on Tuesday the conference office named her Player of the Week.

Williams was a one-person wrecking crew at the Lady Pirate Invitational as she nearly led the squad to the tournament title in Greenville, N.C. Williams, who was named to the all-tournament team, moved into second place on the JU all-time scoring list (1,097) and set the program record for career steals (116). Against UMass, she tallied a game-high 28 points and 10 rebounds to notch her first double-double of the year. She shot 10-of-15 from the floor while also hitting 8-of-10 free throws to lead the squad to a 72-68 win over the Minutewomen. Against Winthrop, she tallied a game-high 18 points to go with five rebounds, five steals and three blocks while shooting 9-of-13 from the floor. For the week, she averaged 23 points, 7.5 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists while shooting .679 (19-28) from the floor.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is a 12-member league committed to Building Winners for Life, with a focus on academic and athletic integrity and a balance between the two for the student-athlete, and maintaining a high level of sportsmanship. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun encompasses six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun consists of some of the most dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Gardner-Webb University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers:

Michele DeVault, ETSU (Sr. – F – Columbus, Ohio – Elementary Education) – The senior tallied a career-high 25 points in the Lady Bucs 77-74 victory over Evansville.

Delia De La Torre, Florida Gulf Coast (Sr. – F – Las Cruces, N.M. – Criminal Justice) – Scored 18 points in the Eagles first-ever Division I victory over Central Connecticut State.

Tierra Brown, Stetson (Fr. – G – Orlando, Fla. – Psychology) – Scored a career-high 22 points in the Hatters near upset of SEC opponent Florida.