Monday, November 30, 2009

MACON, Ga. – On Monday, the Atlantic Sun Conference announced its weekly women’s basketball award with Courtney Ford of Mercer earning her second consecutive Player of the Week, after sharing the honor with Belmont’s Haley Nelson last week.

In Mercer's road win against Furman, Ford led all scorers with 26 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds. The senior guard from Orange, Calif., led the charge as Mercer erased a nine-point deficit in the final seven minutes of play, also contributing six steals and four assists as the Bears pulled even at 2-2 on the year.

The performance only added to Ford’s strong play of late. In her last three contests, the communication major has averaged 18.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 6.0 steals. On the season, Ford leads the Bears in all four statistical categories.

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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
Kate Cloxton, Campbell (So. - Guard - Winfield, W.Va. - Criminal Justice) – Cloxton led the Lady Camels to a 2-0 week, averaging 12.0 points and 6.0 assists per game. The sophomore guard began the week with eight points and a career high eight assists in a 78-67 win at UNC Asheville and scored 16 points to lead all scorers in a 64-52 win against A-Sun foe UNF. Cloxton nailed 4-of-8 threes in the game to open A-Sun play just a week after posting a 5-for-5 display from behind the arc at North Carolina Central where the criminal justice major tied a career mark with 17 points.

Siarre Evans, ETSU (Sr. - Guard/Forward - Griffin, Ga. - Sport Management) – Helped the Lady Bucs to a 1-1 mark this weekend at the Jack in the Box Rainbow Wahine Classic in Hawaii. Evans earned all-tournament team honors after averaging 19.5 points, 12 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 38.5 minutes of work this weekend, in addition to shooting 43.8 percent from the field (14-32). Evans went off for 22 points and 12 rebounds in the Lady Bucs’ near upset over No. 13/17 Arizona State on Saturday (80-67). Guided ETSU to a 94-83 overtime win against Hawaii, in which Evans scored 17 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out five assists in the 11-point win.

Eglah Griffin, FGCU (So. - Guard - Fort Myers, Fla. - Accounting) – Griffin led the Eagles to a 2-0 record at the FGCU Thanksgiving Classic in which the sophomore guard averaged 14.0 points in 25.5 minutes, while shooting 10-of-20 (.500) from the field and 7-of-15 (.467) from long range. In FGCU's 66-53 win against Tulsa, Griffin posted 12 points, and in the Eagles 78-46 win against Rider, the Fort Myers, Fla. native scored a game-high 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 shooting from 3-pt range.

Courtney Jackson, Jacksonville (Sr. - Guard - Atlanta, Ga. - Psychology) – Jackson recorded 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two steals in JU's two games in the nation's capital. The senior guard opened the trip with eight points, four assists and four rebounds against George Mason. Two days later, Jackson notched a team-high 11 points and six rebounds in the loss at Howard.

Chelsea McMillan, USC Upstate (Jr. - Forward - East Gadsden, Fla. - Accounting) – McMillan averaged a double-double as she posted an average of 12.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in two Upstate wins. The junior forward hit 65 (11-17) percent of her shots, posted 16 points and 15 rebounds for ninth career double-double in 88-53 win against S.C. State, playing just 28 points. McMillan also notched two blocks to move into fifth place in school history with 53 career blocked shots with her two blocks in the game. The accounting major followed that performance with eight points and eight rebounds in just 25 minutes against UNC Asheville, leading the team to a 78-60 win. McMillan also added a career-high five assists in the game.

Shaunda Strayhorn, Belmont (Jr. - Guard - Dyersburg, Tenn. - Exercise Science) – For her performance during the Northern Arizona Thanksgiving Classic, Strayhorn earned All-Tournament Team honors. Against eventual tournament champ and first-time opponent Oregon State, the Dyersburg, Tenn., native netted 11 points, the lone Bruin to reach double figures. The following day in the consolation game, Strayhorn pulled down five rebounds and scored 14 points in Belmont's win against first-time opponent Siena College.