Monday, November 23, 2009

MACON, Ga. – On Monday, the Atlantic Sun Conference announced its weekly women’s basketball award with Haley Nelson of Belmont and Courtney Ford of Mercer earning Co-Player of the Week.

Nelson, a sophomore forward, helped the Belmont women's basketball team earn its first 3-0 start since the 2005-06 season. The Scottsboro, Ala. native nearly averaged 20 points and 20 rebounds last week for the Bruins. At UT Martin, Nelson netted a career-high 19 points and pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds, just four shy of matching Belmont’s single game record. Against Alabama, Nelson picked up another double-double with a new career-high of 20 points and pulled down a team-leading 19 boards. Nelson also shot a blistering 63 percent from the floor over the two games and also recorded eight blocks.

Ford, a senior guard, finished one steal short of a quadruple-double as the Bears topped Charleston Southern, 87-77, in Saturday night’s non-conference contest. Ford’s triple-double marked the first time the feat has been accomplished by a Mercer player since detailed records began in the 1997-98 season. Ford scored 13 points, notched ten rebounds, dished out 15 assists and notched nine steals in the winning effort. Ford’s 15 helpers and nine steals tallied career bests for the Orange Country, Calif. native. On Friday night, Ford totaled 17 points, six boards, five assists and three steals in Mercer's loss to the College of Charleston. Ford now tops the league in assists per game (7.33) and steals per game (4.33) and ranks among the top ten players in scoring, rebounding and assist-to-turnover ratio.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast 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
Gia Lockett, Kennesaw State (Sr. - Guard - Snellville, Ga. - Exercise and Health Science) – Lockett led the Lady Owls to a perfect week with balanced production in a win over Jacksonville State and an offensive explosion in a win over Longwood. Against the Gamecocks, Lockett had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals in 30 minutes of action. In Sunday's contest against Longwood, the graduate student went off for 31 points, hitting 10 times from the field - including two 3-pointers - and sinking 9-of-11 from the charity stripe in KSU's 72-61 win. Lockett also had six rebounds, a team-best three steals and two blocks.

Chelsea McMillan, USC Upstate (Jr. - Forward - East Gadsden, Fla. - Accounting) – McMillan had three monster games during the week, nearly a double-double against No. 12 Virginia and nearly collecting two more. At Longwood, McMillan notched 15 points and eight rebounds, scoring all the points in the second half to lead Upstate back from an 18-point deficit to a 71-59 win. The junior forward added 14 points and 11 rebounds against No. 12 Virginia and then added Upstate's first 20-point game of the season by notching 20 points and nine rebounds against Indiana State. McMillan also notched four blocks to become the sixth player in school history to reach 50 career blocks.

Lynsey Paschal, Jacksonville (Jr. - Center - Fairburn, Ga. - Biology) – Paschal had strong two games during JU’s first full week of action as she opened the week with two points, two steals and three rebounds at FIU on Tuesday. The biology major enjoyed being back at the friendly confines of Swisher Gymnasium three days later against Florida Tech after posting 10 points and 17 rebounds for her first career double-double. Paschal’s 17 boards tallied the third-highest single game total in program history and the Fairburn, Ga. native also notched team highs with four assists, three blocks and two steals.

Lauren Yesh, Campbell (Jr. - Forward - Evart, Mich. - Criminal Justice) – Yesh led the Lady Camels with a pair of double digit outings, posting 11 points against Coastal Carolina before tallying 14 in a win at North Carolina Central. The games tallied the junior forward’s 21st and 22nd career double digit scoring games of her career. In the Lady Camels' 79-63 win at NCCU, Yesh posted all eight of her second half points in the game's final eight minutes to pull CU away from the Eagles. The criminal justice major also tied a personal best with two blocks against Coastal Carolina and tied another personal mark with seven made field goals against NC Central.