UConn PG Moriah Jefferson (4) blows past South Carolina G Tina Roy (23) for a layup in the first half at Gampel Pavilion on February 9, 2015.
From UConn:
ST. LOUIS – After earning both the American Athletic Conference and espnW Player of the Week accolades on Monday, University of Connecticut junior guard Moriah Jefferson picked up another national honor when she was selected as the Ann Meyers Drysdale Women’s National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association on Tuesday.
As The American’s Player of the Week, Jefferson was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by Mel Greenberg, the USBWA coordinator for women’s basketball, from a list of Division I conference players of the week.
Jefferson, who is averaging 11.7 points in 26.8 minutes per game this season, has been one of the Huskies’ most consistent scoring options in In total, she ranks first on the team in assists (115) and steals (61) and is one of seven Huskies shooting over 50.0 percent from the floor (56.2). She provided a spark in UConn’s 87-62 victory over No. 1 South Carolina on Feb. 9, notching 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with a game-high six assists.
Jefferson’s 4.6 assists and 2.4 steals game averages are top in the American Athletic Conference.
Last week, she was selected to the Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 List as well as the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top-30 list. Additionally, the guard is among 31 candidates on the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List.
Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. At the Women’s NCAA Final Four in Denver, 2012, the organization announced going forward that the national and weekly player award has been named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale. At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2015 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA’s annual awards event in Tampa, site of the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four.
photo credit: ©2015 Ian Bethune
