2022 CAA Women's Basketball Championship

CAA Women's Basketball Report | Mar. 7, 2022

CAA Women's Basketball Report | Mar. 7, 2022

Catch up on the CAA Women's Basketball weekly news, notes, and awards.

Mar 8, 2022 by FloHoops Staff
CAA Women's Basketball Report | Mar. 7, 2022

WEEKLY HONORS:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Ty Battle, Delaware

Redshirt Senior | Forward | Plainfield, Ill. / Oswego East

Battle averaged 15.0 points and 18.5 rebounds per game, recording back-to-back double-doubles in the final week of the regular season. On Thursday, the redshirt senior recorded a career-high 24 rebounds, adding 18 points, three steals and one assist in an 85-71 victory over Towson. The 24 rebounds tied a CAA single-game record, which was established in 1994 by American’s Mary Klima. It is also the second-highest single-game total in the NCAA this season. She concluded the year with her fifth consecutive double-double, tallying 12 points and 13 rebounds despite a setback at James Madison. Battle leads the CAA in double-doubles and rebounding (11.4 per game) this season. Her 20 double-doubles rank seventh in the NCAA. 

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Gemima Motema, Northeastern

Freshman | Guard | Portland, Maine / Portland

Motema ended the regular season with the best week of her freshman season, averaging 20.0 points per game on 63.2% (12-19) shooting. On Thursday, she established her career-high with 20 points, leading Northeastern to a 63-48 victory over UNCW. Motema shot 7-of-11 from the floor and was 6-for-6 from the free throw line, adding three rebounds and one assist in the victory. On Saturday, she matched the scoring output, leading Northeastern with 20 points despite a setback to Charleston. Motema contributed four rebounds, three assists and one steal in the effort. 

CONFERENCE NOTES:

DRAGONS CLAIM REGULAR SEASON CROWN: Drexel earned the CAA regular-season title outright following a 16-2 mark in conference play. It's the third regular-season title for the Dragons in the last five years and fourth overall. Delaware finished in second, posting a 15-3 record, while Towson was third, going 14-4. It marks the first time three teams have had at least 14 conference wins since 2017-18. 

DICKEY NAMED MID-MAJOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR SEMIFINALIST: CAA Preseason Player of the Year, Jasmine Dickey was named a semifinalist for the 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Award by Her Hoop Stats. It marks the second consecutive season that a CAA student-athlete has been announced as a semifinalist for the award.  

ON THE COURT AND IN THE CLASSROOM: Drexel's Tessa Brugler was named CoSIDA Academic All-District announced Thursday, Feb. 17. Brugler is the first Drexel player to earn honors since Michelle Maslowski in 2002 and is the fourth overall in program history. The graduate student has accumulated a 3.83 GPA pursuing a master's in Sports Business while averaging 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds on the court. 

THE DRAGONS TURNING NATIONAL HEADS: Drexel has received national recognition following its program-best 16-2 start. On Feb. 1, the USBWA named Drexel the National Team of the Week following a 13-game winning streak. The Dragons also received votes in the AP Poll on Feb. 8 and the past five USA Today/WBCA Top 25 Polls. Drexel is the first CAA team to receive votes in the AP Poll this season, while they are the second to do so in Coaches Poll and the first since Delaware in the preseason. 

CAA IN THE COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25: Three CAA teams received recognition in the latest edition of the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 Poll. Drexel, Delaware and Towson moved up in the poll on March 1. The Dragons became the first CAA team to crack the top 10 this season, ranking ninth. The Tigers and Blue Hens jumped up two spots, coming in at No. 16 and No. 21, respectively. It marks the fifth consecutive week at least three CAA teams have been ranked in the poll. 

NOTHING BUT NET: In the latest edition of the NCAA NET rankings, three CAA teams cracked the top 100 for the second week in a row. Towson ranked 76th to lead all CAA teams, while Drexel was 85th, and Delaware rose to its highest rank this season, coming in at 97th.   

DICKEY NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: On Feb. 8, Delaware's Jasmine Dickey was honored as the USBWA National Player of the Week following her impressive performance last week. Dickey averaged 38.0 points and 17.0 rebounds, posting double-doubles in wins over Charleston and UNCW. Dicky poured in a career-high 52 points and tied a career-high 18 rebounds against the Cougars before 24 points and 16 rebounds versus the Seahawks.

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: It was an impressive statement throughout the non-conference slate as CAA teams have combined for a 60-42 record. Six teams posted at least six wins in non-conference play, with Towson earning a league-high nine victories. 

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams have proved hard to beat on their home court this season, posting a 82-53 record at home, including a 50-40 record throughout CAA play. 

PROLIFIC SCORING: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey is third in NCAA women's basketball, averaging 25.0 points per game, while a pair of teams rank inside the top 25 in scoring offense. On Feb. 4, Dickey scored a career-high 52 points against Charleston, which ranks second in all-time Delaware and CAA history. She is the only player in DI with a 40+ and 50+ point performance this season. As a team, Towson and Charleston rank 20th nationally,  averaging 75.6 points per game. 

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: Drexel leads the league in scoring defense and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (36.6%). The Dragons are 29th in the NCAA, allowing 55.8 ppg. Towson leads the conference in field goal percentage defense, ranking 18th nationally, holding opponents to 35.5% shooting from the floor. 

STONE COLD THIEVERY: Two CAA players are top 10 nationally in steals per game. Claudia Soriano of Northeastern ranks seventh in the NCAA with 3.15 steals per game and is 10th in total steals (85). Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico is 10th in steals per game (2.90) and ranks 11th in total steals (84). 

DROPPING DIMES: Three CAA student-athletes rank top 25 nationally in assists per game this season. Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico ranks ninth in the NCAA in assists per game (6.3) and in total assists (182), while Brie Perpignan of Elon is 23rd in assists per game (5.42) and 31st in total assists (152). Towson's Aleah Nelson is 24th nationally in assists per game (5.38) and 22nd in total assists (156). 

CLEANING THE GLASS: Two CAA teams are top 10 in the NCAA in rebounds per game, while a pair of athletes crack the top 25. Towson ranks seventh nationally in rebounding (45.2 rpg), while Delaware is eighth (44.1 rpg). Delaware's Ty Battle is 12th in the NCAA with 11.4 rebounds per game, while JMU's Jaylin Carodine is 23rd with 10.7. On Thursday, Battle secured a career-high 24 rebounds, marking her second game with 20+ rebounds this season. The 24 boards tied the CAA single-game record, which was set in 1994. 

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: Drexel posts the fourth-best assist to turnover ratio (1.47) in the nation. The Dragons turn the ball over at the third-lowest rate nationally, averaging just 11.2 turnovers per game, and have the fourth-fewest turnovers (314) in the NCAA this year. 

FORCE MY HAND: Charleston causes havoc on defense, ranking ninth nationally in steals per game (11.9) and 15th in turnovers forced (20.59). Subsequently, the Cougars are sixth in the NCAA, maintaining a +7.17 turnover margin. Charleston has recorded 20+ steals twice this season, including a program-record 29 against Agnes Scott (Dec. 15).  

TRIPLE THREAT: On Feb. 9, Kylie Kornegay-Lucas recorded her first career triple-double, tallying 11 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 12 assists. She became the second player to post a triple-double in Towson's DI program history, and it marks the first CAA triple-double since March 1, 2018, when Elon's Shay Burnett complete the feat. Kornegay-Lucas is one of 25 NCAA DI players to record a triple-double this season.  

1K AND COUNTING: Nine CAA Players have eclipsed the 1,000 career point barrier this season. Drexel teammates Hannah Nihill and Keishana Washington surpassed the mark and now rank top 15 all-time on the Dragons scoring list. Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico tallied the mark five days after setting the Charleston single-game points (36) record, and Elon's Brie Perpignan eclipsed the milestone the same night she set a career-high with 34 points. Additionally, JMU's Kiki Jefferson, Delaware's Ty Battle, Syndey Wanger of William & Mary, Hofstra's Jalen Hines and Kendall Currence of Northeastern eclipsed the milestone. Charleston's Tyler Collins was the most recent to accomplish the feat on Thursday.

EADY BECOMES CHARLESTON'S REBOUNDING QUEEN: Senior Arynn Eady etched her name in the Charleston record book, becoming the program's all-time leader in rebounding on Feb. 27. Eady grabbed 11 boards to bring her career total to 849, surpassing Breanna Bolden's 845 rebounds. Eady ranks fourth in the CAA averaging 9.2 rebounds per game and her career total now sits at 865.

DICKEY CLIMBS DELAWARE CAREER RANKS: Senior Jasmine Dickey eclipsed 1,500 career points in the Blue Hens' win over JMU on Jan. 19. Dickey has climbed to second in Delaware program history with 1,872 career points. She also ranks top 10 in Delaware program history in double-doubles (4th/44), rebounds (7th/983) and steals (7th/204).   

NIHILL RISING IN THE DREXEL RECORDS: Senior Hannah Nihill has been a staple in the Drexel program for the past five seasons, as is evident by her name rising through the Drexel records. Nihill surpassed 1,000 career points earlier this season and currently ranks 15th on the Dragons scoring list. She has also climbed her way in the top five of assists (4th/502), steals (4th/300) and is the program leader for games played (147). 

DICKEY NAMED CHERYL MILLER AWARD TOP 10: Blue Hen Jasmine Dickey was named one of the top 10 candidates for the 2022 Cheryl Miller Award announced by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association. The award named after the three-time Naismith Player of the Year and 1995 Hall of Famer, recognizes the top small forward in women’s NCAA Division I basketball.

DICKEY NAMED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD LATE SEASON WATCH LIST: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey has been named to the late-season watch list for the 2022 Dawn Staley Award announced by the Phoenix Club of Philadelphia. The award is given to the player who exemplifies the skills that Dawn possessed throughout her career; ball handling, scoring, her ability to distribute the basketball and her will to win, recognizing the top guard in women’s NCAA Division I basketball annually. 

FRESHMEN PHENOMS: Two freshmen have shined bright in their first collegiate seasons as Charleston's Grace Abercrombie and Claudia Soriano of Northeastern have combined to take home CAA Rookie of the Week honors on 10 of the 13 occasions this winter. Soriano leads all freshman, collecting honors seven weeks a Northeastern single-season record. Abercrombie has earned accolades three times.  

TEAM NOTES:

Charleston

• Charleston finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, defeating Hofstra (75-35) and Northeastern (73-64) last week.

• Tyler Collins averaged 18.0 ppg, including a game-high 22 against Northeastern. The senior guard eclipsed 1,000 career points in the effort on Thursday. 

• Jenna Annecchiarico contributed 11.0 points, 8.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game throughout the week. 

• Annecchiarico leads the CAA in assists (6.3) and is second in steals per game (2.9). 

• Against Hofstra, Anika McGarity scored a game-high 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. 

• On Saturday, Arynn Eady recorded her 13th double-double of the season, with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She also averaged 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals per game defensively. 

• Eady leads the CAA in blocks per game (2.1) and ranks sixth in steals per game (2.1). She has recorded at least one block and one steal in 18 games this season.  

• Charleston leads the CAA in steals per game (11.9) and turnover margin (+7.17). 

Delaware

• Delaware went 1-1, defeating Towson (85-71) before dropping the regular-season finale to James Madison (78-62).  

• Ty Battle averaged 15.0 points and 18.5 rebounds per game, recording double-doubles in both games. On Thursday, she had a career-high 24 rebounds and 18 points. 

• Battle leads the CAA with 20 double-doubles and 11.4 rebounds per game. She has grabbed 10+ rebounds in 11 straight games. 

• On Thursday, Tyi Skinner scored a career-high 25 points and added five assists. 

• Jasmine Dickey averaged 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game throughout the week. 

• Dickey is third in the NCAA, averaging 25.0 points per game. She reached double figures in 18 straight games. 

• Delaware has recorded 40+ rebounds in five consecutive contests and 20 this season. 

• Delaware leads the CAA in offensive rebounding (17.3) while ranking second in the league in rebounds per game (44.1) and rebounding margin (+7.36).

Drexel

• Drexel split a pair of games, defeating James Madison 80-60 before a 69-61 setback against Towson. 

• Hannah Nihill led the way averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. 

• Nihill became the second player Drexel in program history with 1,000 points, 500 assists and 300 steals in a career. 

• On Thursday, Keishana Washington tallied 17 points and a season-high seven assists. She also added 16 points in the following game. 

• Washington has reached double-figures in all 28 games this season and ranks second in the CAA, averaging 19.4 ppg. 

• Tessa Brugler contributed 10.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. 

• Brugler ranks fourth in the CAA with 10 double-doubles. Previously, Drexel had three double-doubles in the past two years. 

• Against JMU, Kate Connolly added 15 points, making a career-high five three-pointers, part of a team season-high 12 treys. 

• The Dragons lead the CAA in field goal percentage (43.3%), scoring defense (55.8 ppg), assists per game (16.7), turnovers per game (11.2) and assist/turnover ratio (1.47). 

Elon

• Elon topped William & Mary in back-to-back games to conclude the regular season. 

• Brie Perpignan averaged 14.0 points and 5.5 assists per game, including 16 points, six assists and three rebounds on Thursday. 

• Perpignan has scored in double figures 21 straight games. She ranks fifth in the CAA in scoring (16.7 ppg) and second in assists per game (5.4). 

• Evonna McGill averaged 10.0 points per game and seven rebounds. She paced the Phoenix with 13 points on Saturday.

• On Thursday, Ajia James led the Phoenix, scoring a season-high 17 points off the bench. 

• Kayla Liles contributed 9.0 rebounds per game and led Elon in rebounding in both contests. 

• Liles ranks fifth in the conference in steals per game (2.14). She has recorded two or more in 17 games this season. 

• The Phoenix has won back-to-back matchups against the Tribe for the first time since the 2017-18 season. 

Hofstra

• Hofstra fell to Charleston (75-35) Thursday before ending the regular season with a victory over UNCW (67-52) on Sunday.

• Jaylen Hines had 20 points and eight rebounds in the victory after her sixth double-double of the year (16p, 13r) in the setback. 

• Hines has scored in double figures, a team-best 20 games this season, including 11 straight. 

• Rosi Nicholson contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals in the victory.  

• Nicholson ranks third in the CAA with 2.3 steals per game. She has recorded multiple steals 17 times this season.  

• Jahsyni Knight tallied 11 points, four assists and three steals to help Hofstra against UNCW. 

• In the victory, Hofstra trailed by seven at halftime but outscored UNCW 44-22 in the second half to capture the win. 

• Hofstra has now won four straight games in its series against UNCW, and the teams will meet again in the opening round of the CAA tournament on Thursday. 

James Madison

• James Madison went 1-1, falling to Drexel (80-60) before a win against Delaware (78-62).  

• Kiki Jefferson averaged 21.0 points per game to lead JMU. She 20 points in the victory on Saturday after 22 on Thursday. 

• Jefferson ranks third in the conference scoring 18.8 points per game. She has eclipsed double figures in 25 games this season and has 20+ in five of the last six. 

• Jaylin Carodine led JMU in rebounding, averaging 11.5 per game. She grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds against Delaware.  

• Carodine ranks second in the conference with 10.7 rebounds per game. She has recorded 10 or more rebounds in 15 contests this year.  

• Jamia Hazell chipped in 15 points off the bench in the Dukes' victory. 

• On Saturday, Brianna Tinsley added 14 points, three assists and two steals. She reached double figures in three of her last four.  

• JMU held Delaware to 27.4% (20-73) shooting from the floor. It marks a season-low for the Blue Hens and the lowest by a JMU opponent this season.  

UNCW

• UNCW dropped a pair of games, falling to Northeastern (63-48) and Hofstra (67-52).  

• Against Northeastern, Micah Hoggatt recorded her fifth double-double this season, leading the team with 13 points and 10 rebounds. 

• Sierra DaCosta chipped in nine and eight points in each respective game. DaCosta, who leads the Seahawks in scoring, was playing in her first action since Feb. 13. 

• On Saturday, Carrie Gross paced UNCW with 12 points off the bench. 

• Gross ranks fourth in the CAA in free throw percentage, shooting 87.3% from the charity stripe. 

• Allie Best recorded at least one three-point field goal in each game, extending her streak of games with a made three to 19 games. 

• Best ranks fourth in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage (35.7%) this season. 

• Asia Henderson recorded three blocks against Hofstra. She has at least three blocks in two of her past three contests. 

Northeastern

• Northeastern split a pair of games, defeating UNCW (63-48) before a setback to Charleston (73-64). 

• Gemima Motema paced Northeastern with 20.0 points per game. She set a career-high with 20 points against UNCW and matched it in the following contest at Charleston. 

• Claudia Soriano added 14 points, seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in the Northeastern victory.  

• Soriano has recorded multiple steals in 24 games this season and has four or more on 12 occasions. She leads the conference with 3.2 steals per game. 

• Emily Calabrese averaged 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. She added 17 points and six rebounds against Charleston. 

• On Thursday, Camille Clement contributed a career-high eight points in 13 minutes off the bench.  

• On Saturday, Katie May contributed 13 points, nine rebounds and two blocks. 

• Northeastern ranks second in the CAA in scoring defense (61.1 ppg) and second in team field goal percentage (41.5%). 

Towson

• Towson went 1-1, falling to Delaware 85-71 before ending the regular season with a 69-61 win over Drexel. 

• Against Delaware, Tarriyonna Gary led Towson, scoring a career-high 22 points. She went 5-of-7 from three, also setting a new personal best. 

• On Saturday, Anissa Rivera recorded a game-high 22 points with eight rebounds. She also grabbed 13 rebounds against Delaware to average 10.5 per game for the week. 

• Aleah Nelson averaged 14.5 points and 5.5 assists per game. She broke the Towson single-season assist record (156) with six in the contest against Drexel. 

• Nelson ranks fourth in the CAA in scoring (16.8 ppg) and third in assists per game (5.4). She has reached double figures scoring in 26 of 28 games this year, including 15 straight. 

• Skye Williams contributed 13.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest over the week. 

• Towson leads the CAA in scoring margin (+14.1) and rebounding margin (+7.8). 

• Towson's 23 wins mark a new program record for the Tigers. The previous best of 22 wins was set in 2007-08. 

William & Mary

• William & Mary dropped a pair of games to Elon, falling 85-61 and 49-45 to the Phoenix.  

• On Thursday, Sydney Wagner poured in a season-high 30 points, shooting 63.2% (12-19) from the field. She also reached double figures on Saturday, adding 11.   

• Wagner has a team-best 22 double-figure performances this season, including six straight. 

• Riley Casey contributed 13 points in the first game and a team-best 12 in the second. 

• Casey leads the CAA with 2.67 three-pointers per game and tops the conference in three-point field goal percentage (38.1%).

• On Thursday, Dani McTeer recorded her first career double-double, adding 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

• On Saturday, Kate Sramac added 11 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. 

• William & Mary leads the CAA in team three-point field goal percentage, shooting 32.7% from behind the arc.