Tuesday, February 02, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Shaunda Strayhorn led the Belmont women's basketball team in scoring last week, helping the team pick up two wins against Atlantic Sun foes. For her performance, Strayhorn claimed the first Player of the Week award of her career, the conference office announced on Monday.

In part two of the “Battle of the Boulevard” against rival Lipscomb, the junior guard netted 16 points and pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Strayhorn shot 55.5 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent from the free-throw line. Three days later at Campbell, the Dyersburg, Tenn. native scored a career-high 25 points, after going 14-for-18 from the charity stripe, including netting her last nine consecutive shots. Strayhorn also drilled three treys, pulled down four rebounds and finished with a team-high five assists. The exercise science major ranks 47th nationally in assists per game and 78th in 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
Tonisha Baker, Campbell (Fr. - Guard - High Point, N.C. - Undeclared) – Baker tallied 8.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per game on the week as Campbell took losses at ETSU and against Belmont. The freshman guard notched a standout game at ETSU, recording 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding three assists, two rebounds, a block, and two steals. The game marked the fifth time the rookie has led CU in scoring this season. Baker stands as one of two Lady Camels to start all 20 games this season.

Tara Davis, ETSU (Jr. - Guard - Murfreesboro, Tenn. - Nursing) – Davis gave the Lady Bucs a spark this weekend and helped lift ETSU to another perfect 2-0 record. The junior guard, who came off the bench in both wins against Campbell and Lipscomb, averaged 11 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 20.5 minutes. Davis posted a monster game in the 23-point win versus Lipscomb, as the Murfreesboro, Tenn. native tallied 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Meanwhile, Davis finished with six points, two assists and two steals in only 16 minutes of work in the 88-65 win against Campbell.

Drameka Griggs, Jacksonville (Fr. - Guard - Jonesboro, Ga. - Education) – Nursing a sore ankle, Griggs came off the bench and scored a season-high 23 points at UNF. The freshman guard finished 9-for-20 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line. Griggs hit double-figures for the fourth time this season after coming off the bench. The Jonesboro, Ga. native also finished with three steals and two assists.

LaToya Jackson, Mercer (Sr. - Guard - Oklahoma City, Okla. - Communications) - Jackson netted a season-high 24 points to lead Mercer to a 65-51 win against Stetson on Saturday. The senior guard connected on six-of-12 shots from beyond the arc and also tallied three steals against the Hatters.

Adrianne McNally, FGCU (Sr. - Forward - Howell, Mich. - Nursing) – McNally led the Eagles to a 2-0 record last week as FGCU kept its half-game lead over ETSU. In FGCU’s 68-44 win versus Stetson at Alico Arena, McNally posted 11 points, six assists, and three boards. In the Eagles’ 75-64 win against the Kennesaw State Lady Owls, the senior forward posted a game-high 25 points, to go along with six boards, four assists, two steals, and a block. McNally shot 8-of-15 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the charity stripe during the contest. For the week, the nursing major averaged 18 points, 5.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, while shooting .458 from the field and .923 from the free-throw line.

Kendra Wallace, USC Upstate (So. - Guard - Hurricane, W.Va. - Interdisciplinary Studies) – Wallace posted a season-high 24 points and a career-high six steals in 65-59 win against UNF, helping the Spartans sweep a season series versus the Ospreys for the first time in school history. The Spartans got out to a hot start in the first half, as the sophomore guard hit a trey to open the scoring, then forced a steal and converted another from downtown before Wallace posted another steal and cruised in for a fastbreak layup to give USC Upstate an 8-0 lead it never relinquished. The interdisciplinary studies major scored 19 points in the first half and hit four three-pointers in the second half. Wallace capped an 11-2 run with her season-high fifth three-pointer to give Upstate a game-high 17-point lead midway through the second half.