CENTER VALLEY, Pa. — Lehigh senior guard Mary Clougherty was named the Patriot League GEICO Women's Basketball Player of the Week, and Army West Point guard Lauren Lithgow received rookie of the week when the League office announced the results on Wednesday.
Boston University senior guard Katie Nelson, Bucknell junior guard Taylor O'Brien, Colgate senior guard Keelah Dixon, freshman guard Cara McCormack, and senior forward Lafayette Natalie Kucowski all earned honorable mention recognition.
The Patriot League Women's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week are selected in a vote by League media members and each school's sports information director, who are not eligible to vote for their student-athletes.
Current Standings (as of 1.6.21)
| Schools |
Div. |
Div. Pct. |
PL |
PL Pct. |
Overall |
Pct. |
| NORTH |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Boston University |
2-0 |
1.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
| Army West Point |
1-1 |
0.500 |
1-1 |
0.500 |
4-3 |
0.571 |
| Colgate |
1-1 |
0.500 |
1-1 |
0.500 |
1-1 |
0.500 |
| Holy Cross |
0-2 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
| CENTRAL |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Lehigh |
2-0 |
1.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
| Bucknell |
0-0 |
0.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
2-0 |
1.000 |
| Lafayette |
0-2 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
| SOUTH |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| American |
0-0 |
0.000 |
0-0 |
0.000 |
0-0 |
0.000 |
| Navy |
0-0 |
0.000 |
0-0 |
0.000 |
0-4 |
0.000 |
| Loyola Maryland |
0-0 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
0-2 |
0.000 |
Patriot League Player of the Week
Mary Clougherty, Lehigh, Sr., G, Herndon, Va./Chantilly
* Clougherty led the Mountain Hawks in scoring in two victories over Lafayette this past Saturday (81-75) and Sunday (73-65).
* The senior scored a game-high 23 points with five 3-pointers, including an important 3-pointer at the end of the fourth quarter and one at the end of overtime on Saturday. She also posted five rebounds and four assists,
* She then dropped 20 points with four 3-pointers, three rebounds, three assists and three steals on Sunday.
* Clougherty is averaging 21.5 ppg, second-best in the Patriot League and first in 3-pointers made per game (4.5).
Patriot League Rookie of the Week
Lauren Lithgow, Army West Point, Fr., G, Manasquan, N.J./St. Rose
* Lithgow averaged 17.5 points per game this weekend against Colgate to lead all League freshmen. She scored 19 points on Saturday and 16 points on Sunday.
* The freshman shot 50 percent (11-22) from the field, 54.5 percent from deep (6-11), and went 7-8 at the line to improve her season total to 24-for-27 (89.7 percent).
* Lithgow's back-to-back double-digit scoring performances were the first two of her collegiate career.
Honorable Mentions
Katie Nelson, Boston University, Sr., G, Falmouth, Mass./Bishop Feehan
* Nelson finished Boston University's 2-0 weekend averaging 18.5 points and 5.5 assists against Holy Cross.
* The senior started the season with a 6-of-9 performance from deep for 17 points to go with a game-high five assists in Monday's 76-54 win. In Tuesday's 72-56 victory, she finished 7-of-10 from the floor to score 20 points while handing out six assists.
Taylor O'Brien, Bucknell, Jr., G, Lafayette Hill, Pa./Plymouth Whitemarsh
* O'Brien knocked down 2-of-3 3-pointers during a 14-point effort in Saturday's 72-44 win over Loyola, and then led all scorers with 18 points in Sunday's 59-44 win over the Greyhounds.
Keelah Dixon, Colgate, Sr., G, Boston, Mass./Braintree
* Dixon averaged 22.5 points for the weekend as the Raiders split their opening series at Army West Point.
* The senior's 30-point performance in Saturday's 87-76 victory made her the ninth Raider in Division I program history to score at least 30 points.
Cara McCormack, Holy Cross, Fr., G, Smithtown, N.Y./St. John the Baptist DHS
* McCormack totaled 29 points in her first two collegiate games, including 18 in the Crusaders' home opener on Tuesday.
* She is the first Holy Cross rookie to post back-to-back games in double figures to open her career since recent graduate Lauren Manis in 2016.
Natalie Kucowski, Lafayette, Sr., F, Philadelphia, Pa./St. Basil Academy
* Kucowski recorded a double-double in both of the Leopards' games this weekend, marking the 44th and 45th of her career, against Lehigh.
* The senior totaled 16 points and 21 rebounds in Lafayette's season opener against the Mountain Hawks on Saturday, followed by 15 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's contest.
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League's athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.