PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Khari Clark, Stony Brook

Graduate | F / C | Denver, Colo, / Thomas Jefferson HS

Clark averaged 18.5 points per game on 15-of-19 shooting from the floor, adding 9.0 rebounds per contest to lead Stony Brook to a 2-0 week. On Monday, the graduate transfer recorded a double-double in her Seawolf debut, notching a career-high 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting with a team-leading 10 rebounds. Clark added three assists, three steals and one block as Stony Brook defeated Columbia 85-73 in its season opener. On Saturday, she surpassed her career-high in points for the second time in as many games, scoring 19 points, shooting 9-of-10 from the floor, and contributing eight rebounds in an 81-63 win at Le Moyne. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Darrionna Howard, Delaware

Freshman | F | Smithfield, N.C. / Clayton

Howard recorded a double-double in her collegiate debut, helping Delaware to a season-opening victory over Longwood. In 26 minutes off the bench, the freshman forward tallied 13 points, shooting 62.5 percent (5-8) from the floor, with 12 rebounds. In addition, Howard recorded three steals and two assists as the Blue Hens topped the Lancers 81-55. 

CONFERENCE NOTES:

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND: CAA teams opened the year 4-0 against teams from the state of New York, including two wins over postseason teams from a year ago. Stony Brook defeated Columbia in its season opener 85-73. Columbia was the Ivy League Regular Season Champion last season, advancing to the WNIT Championship game in its second straight postseason appearance. In addition, Monmouth topped St. John’s 74-69 in its home opener. The Red Storm made it to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament as an at-large out of the Big East last season. 

KEEPING IT 100: Three teams - Campbell, Charleston and North Carolina A&T - reached triple digits during the first week of the 2023-24 season. Charleston tallied a program-record 117 points in its season-opening victory over Pfeiffer. The mark is the second-highest single-game point total in CAA Women’s Basketball history. North Carolina A&T earned a 114-41 win over Guilford in its home opener, marking the fifth time the Aggies surpassed 100 points under head coach Tarrell Robinson. Finally, Campbell scored 108 points in its first game as a CAA member, defeating N.C. Wesleyan. 

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: CAA teams got off to a strong start in their own buildings as league members combined for a 10-5 record at home last week. The 10 wins came from different teams, of which all were victorious in their home openers. 

TEAM NOTES:

Campbell

• Campbell opened the year 2-1 following wins over N.C. Wesleyan (108-37) and Coppin State (68-55) before a setback at Virginia (74-49).  

• Christabel Ezumah averaged 13.7 points per game on 72.0 percent shooting (18-25), adding 7.7 rebounds per contest. Ezumah scored in double figures all three games and tallied a double-double (14p, 11r) against UVA.

• Brittany Staves contributed 12.0 points per game, including a career-high 25 points in the win over Coppin State. 

Charleston 

• Charleston split its opening two games, defeating Pfeiffer before falling to UNLV. The Cougars’ 117 points in the season opener were a program record. 

• Alexis Andrews reached 20 points in both games, resetting her career-high in back-to-back contests. The sophomore had 20 points in the opener and 22 at UNLV.

• Jada Logan tallied a team-high 29 points against Pfeiffer before 15 at UNLV. Logan surpassed 1,000 career points on Monday.

Delaware 

• Delaware won its season opener for the fourth straight season, defeating Longwood 81-55 on Thursday night. 

• Chloe Wilson shined in her Blue Hen debut, recording a double-double. The senior forward recorded a team-best 18 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.  

• Darrionna Howard also tallied a double-double in her collegiate debut. The freshman added 13 points and 12 boards. Additionally, Howard had three steals. 

Drexel 

• After falling to Norfolk State (51-49) in its season opener, Drexel bounced back with a road win over Delaware State ( 65-33).

• On Wednesday, Amaris Baker led the Dragons with a 14-point performance in her Drexel Debut. The junior also added seven boards and two assists to her line.

• Momo LaClair paced the Dragons in the victory with a career-best 12 points. LaClair was 4-of-5 from the floor and added a career-high seven rebounds.

Elon 

• Elon opened its season 1-1, falling to East Carolina (68-37) to open the year before a victory over Gardner-Webb (90-69). 

• In the victory, freshman Maraja Pass paced the Phoenix with 16 points. Pass went 6-of-7 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe while adding four rebounds.

• Against ECU, freshman Ava Leroux led the Phoenix with 10 points on 4-4 shooting and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. She also recorded one block.

Hampton

• Hampton dropped its season opener on the road to Providence, 76-46. The Lady Pirates shot just 28.8% (17-59) in the contest.

• Camryn Hill paced Hampton with 20 points, knocking down three from behind the arc. Hill added one steal and one block in the effort. 

• Amyah Reaves added 15 points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. The point total marks the most for Reaves since Nov. 18, 2021.

Hofstra 

• Hofstra fell to VCU (72-44) in its season opener but bounced back with an overtime win over Wagner (51-48) at home.  

• Sorelle Ineza paced Hofstra with 12.0 points per game. Ineza reached double figures in both contests, scoring a team-high 14 at VCU and adding 10 versus Wagner.

• Zyheima Swint cleaned the glass, averaging 14.0 rebounds per game. The senior center grabbed a career-high 21 boards in the victory, which marks a single-game best in the NCAA.

Monmouth  

• Monmouth split its first two games, falling to Rutgers (56-51) before defeating St. John’s (75-69). The win marks the first over a Big East team for MU since 2011-12.

• Ariana Vanderhoop reached double figures in both contests. She led the Hawks with 14 points at Rutgers and added 11 versus St. John’s. 

• Kaci Donovan averaged 11.5 points per game for Monmouth. Donovan tallied 14 points in the victory after nine on Monday.=

North Carolina A&T

• North Carolina A&T dropped its season opener against Georgia (71-59) before winning its home opener versus Gilford College (114-41).

• D’Mya Tucker paced A&T in scoring in both games. The senior averaged 18.5 points per game, including a career-high 23 points in the victory. 

• Jordyn Dorsey reached double figures in both contests. The junior tallied 19 points on Friday after 12 on Monday.

UNCW

• UNCW started the year 1-1, defeating the Apprentice School (78-42) before a setback against Wofford (74-49). The victory was the first for head coach Nicole Woods.

• Taylor Henderson paced UNCW in the win with 18 points in her collegiate debut. The redshirt freshman added seven rebounds, five assists and two steals. 

• Evan Miller added a career-high 16 points on Monday. The senior guard went 7-of-11 from the floor with six rebounds in the effort.

Northeastern 

• Northeastern opened the year 2-1 under first-year head coach Priscilla Edwards-Llyod. The Huskies defeated Stonehill and UMass before a setback against Boston College.

• Gemima Motema reached double figures in the first two games and averaged a team-best 14.7 points per game. The junior matched her career-high with 22 points at Stonehill.

• Deja Bristol notched a career-high 16 rebounds in the season opener before Asha Parker tallied a career-best 18 points versus UMass.

Stony Brook

• Stony Brook started the season 2-0 following victories over Columbia (85-73) on Monday and Le Moyne (82-61) on Saturday. 

• Khari Clark paced Stony Brook in both contests. The grad transfer recorded a double-double (18p, 10r) in the opener before 19 points and eight rebounds on Saturday. 

• Gigi Gonzalez averaged 16.0 points per game and 5.0 assists per contest. The graduate guard reached double figures in both outings, scoring 18 on Monday and 14 on Saturday.

Towson 

• Five Tigers scored in double figures as Towson defeated UMBC 76-72 in the first edition of the Charm City Hoops Classic.

• Alexia Nelson paced Towson with 15 points. Nelson was 6-of-9 from the floor while adding six rebounds, three assists, one block and one steal. 

• Gabby Scott reached double figures for the second time in her career, scoring 10 points for the Tigers. Scott added career highs in rebounds (8) and steals (3) in the effort. 

William & Mary

• William & Mary dropped its first three games, falling to in-state rivals Norfolk State, VCU and George Mason. 

• Nylah Young made an instant impact, averaging 26.0 points per game. The grad transfer surpassed 20 points in each contest, including 29 in the opener. She also added 8.3 rebounds per game for the Tribe. 

• Bella Nascimento scored in double figures all three games, averaging 13.0 points per contest. Her best effort was against GMU with 18 points.