BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Army West Point senior forward Kya Smith was named Patriot League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Lehigh first-year guard Ryann Jennings earned Rookie of the Week honors, as the League office announced on Monday.
The Patriot League women’s basketball players 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.
Patriot League Women’s Basketball Player of the Week
Kya Smith, Army West Point, Sr., F, Lubbock, Tex./Coronado
*Smith averaged 19.0 points while shooting 58.3 percent from the field and 90.9 percent from the free-throw line to lead Army West Point to a 2-0 start.
*She recorded her first double-double of the season with 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and one block at Brown, becoming the 21st player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
*The senior forward scored 16 points in 19 minutes against St. Thomas Aquinas, including 14 in the first half, to help Army earn its third-largest margin of victory as a Division I program with a 53-point win.
Patriot League Women’s Basketball Rookie of the Week
Ryann Jennings, Lehigh, Fy., G, Devon, Pa./Conestoga
*Jennings started her first two collegiate games, averaging 14.0 points and 5.0 rebounds against UCLA and Monmouth.
*Jennings scored nine points on three 3-pointers in her collegiate debut at defending national champion UCLA.
*The first-year guard followed with a team-high 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting against Monmouth, connecting on three 3-pointers.
Honorable Mentions
Zoe Mesuch, Navy, So., G, Clintondale, N.Y./Wallkill
Mesuch averaged 17.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from 3-point range during Navy’s 1-1 week against Mount St. Mary’s and Temple.
Colleen Phiri, Holy Cross, So., G, Haverhill, Mass./Tilton School
Phiri averaged 16.0 points and 5.0 rebounds in wins over Boston College and Dartmouth, highlighted by a career-high 21 points and eight rebounds against the Big Green to help Holy Cross earn its first 2-0 start since 2013.
Leia Edwards, Lehigh, So., F, London, England/Sierra Canyon
Edwards averaged 16.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists against UCLA and Monmouth, including an 18-point, eight-rebound, six-assist performance against the Hawks.
Sophia Georgiades, Boston University, Fr., G, Somerset, N.J./Rutgers Prep
Georgiades averaged 11.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in her first two collegiate games against Dartmouth and Northeastern, including 12 points and three steals against the Huskies.
Kaila Francis, Colgate, Fy., F, Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest
Francis recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut, shooting 4-of-8 from the field to help Colgate open the season with a victory.
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 who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.