Megan Podkowa and Allazia Blockton
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Megan Podkowa, DePaul, 6-2, Sr., G/F
Podkowa turned in a pair of dominating performances against two of the nation’s top-ranked teams. Starting Wednesday night at No. 3/3 Notre Dame, Podkowa helped the Blue Demons rally to get within two possessions by scoring 12 of her 14 points over the final two quarters as DePaul outscored the Irish 51-30 over the last 20 minutes. The senior added six rebounds and three dishes in the narrow 95-90 setback. At No. 15/16 Texas A&M on Saturday, Podkowa went for a season-high 20 points and career-best 18 rebounds as DePaul upended the Aggies on their home court, 80-66. The senior added three assists and two steals in the Blue Demons’ first top-25 road win since March 24, 2014, at then-No. 9/10 Duke. On the season, Podkowa leads DePaul with a 13.9 scoring average and 7.8 rebounding average. This marks her first career BIG EAST weekly honor.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Allazia Blockton, Marquette, 6-0, Fr., G
Blockton led Marquette to a win over -/RV Auburn on Sunday afternoon, stuffing the stat sheet with 10 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, five assists and two steals. The Tigers entered the game receiving votes in the
USA Today Coaches Poll and with a 6-1 record. The Golden Eagles trailed by five with 56 seconds remaining before the rookie drained a three-pointer to make it a one-possession game. After a made free-throw by Auburn, Blockton responded with a layup with 32 seconds left to make it 58-57 Tigers. Knotted at 60-60 after teammate Natisha Hiedeman’s game-tying three-pointer with eight ticks left, Marquette and Auburn headed to overtime where Blockton recorded three points and two rebounds to keep the Golden Eagles ahead from start to finish in the bonus frame. The MU freshman leads the Golden Eagles over nine games with a 16.2 scoring average and ranks second in rebounding at 7.0 per game.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Sarah Beal, Providence, 5-8, Jr., G
In a 1-1 week for the Friars, Beal averaged 17.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.5 steals and 2.0 assists, highlighted by a program record-setting 10-steal showing in PC’s win over local foe Bryant on Wednesday. She stuffed the stat sheet against the Bulldogs with 23 points, three dimes and four rebounds to go along with the standard-setting thefts. She added another double-double against FGCU on Saturday with 12 points and 12 boards.
Caroline Coyer, Villanova, 5-10, Sr., G
In the Wildcats’ narrow setback at -/RV George Washington on Sunday, Coyer totaled 16 points, six assists and five rebounds while making 50 percent (7-of-14) of her attempts from the field.
Briana Glover, Xavier, 6-1, Sr., F
In a 2-0 week for the Musketeers, Glover averaged 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks, highlighted by an 18-point showing against Cincinnati in XU’s Crosstown Shootout rivalry game victory. The senior made 7-of-11 attempts from the field while recording three swats in the win.
Danaejah Grant, St. John’s, 5-9, Sr., G
Grant led the BIG EAST in scoring last week with back-to-back 23-point performances against Yale and at UCF. The senior totaled her 1,000
th point in a St. John’s uniform against the Bulldogs. She shot .484 on the week while averaging 7.5 rebounds per game.
Aleesha Powell, Seton Hall, 5-6, Sr., G
In back-to-back wins last week, Powell averaged 18.0 points thanks to .522 shooting, including a .417 clip from deep. In Wednesday’s win over Fordham, the senior totaled 26 points, four steals and three rebounds.