Aliyyah Handford, St. John's
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Aliyyah Handford, St. John’s, 5-9, Sr., G
Handford was dominant at both ends of the court to lead St. John’s to a pair of victories last week. The senior started the week with a 24-point, five-rebound, four-assist showing against Sacred Heart on Thursday before lighting up Allen Fieldhouse for a career-high 33 points in the Red Storm’s road win over Kansas. Against the Jayhawks, Handford added five rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead St. John’s to its sixth straight win. For the week the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year averaged 28.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game while making 54.2 percent of her attempts from the field. After dropping its season opener at UCLA which has since moved into the top 25, St. John’s has won six straight.
BIG EAST Freshman of the Week
Allazia Blockton, Marquette, 6-0, Fr., G
Against a pair of “Power Five” conference teams, Blockton averaged 19 points, five rebounds and 2.5 steals per game as the Golden Eagles split the contests. Against No. 7/7 Oregon State on Thursday night, the rookie put up a team-high 21 points while snagging five boards and four steals in MU’s narrow setback. In Marquette’s home win over Wisconsin on Sunday, Blockton led four Golden Eagles in double figures with 17 points while adding two assists and five rebounds to lead MU to the 16-point victory. Through eight games Blockton leads Marquette with her 17.0 points per game average while her 6.4 boards per contest list second. Her scoring average ranks fourth in the BIG EAST overall.
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Audrey Faber, Creighton, 6-2, Fr., F
The BIG EAST’s No. 5 scorer averaged 16.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 3.0 assists in road games at Kansas and Nebraska. In the Bluejays’ narrow setback to the Cornhuskers, Faber totaled 22 points, six blocks, six assists and five rebounds while making 9-of-13 attempts from the field and 4-of-5 from deep.
Briana Glover, Xavier, 6-1, Sr., F
Glove led Xavier to a 1-1 week beginning with a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double against Tennessee Tech on Thursday. For the week she shot 44.4 percent, including 57.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Jessica January, DePaul, 5-7, Jr., G
In 28 minutes versus the reigning national champions, January stuffed the stat sheet with 18 points, six assists and three rebounds, making 4-of-6 attempts from three to keep UConn on its heels. She followed with a 13-point, five-rebound, five-assist and three-steal showing against Illinois State in the Blue Demons’ comfortable home win. For the week, January boasted a 3.7 assist-turnover ratio.
Blaire Langlois, Butler, 5-8, Sr., G
In a busy three-game week, Langlois averaged 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, shooting over 40 percent from three. At Ball State on Sunday the senior totaled 25 points, eight rebounds and three dimes.
Dionna White, Georgetown, 5-5, Fr., G
White averaged 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in a 1-1 road week for the Hoyas. The freshman totaled 22 points, four assists and seven boards in Georgetown’s win at George Mason before a 17-point effort at St. Bonaventure.