STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) has been selected as the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Co-Player of the Week and is also listed on this week's New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Honor Roll for her play in three contests last week.
McNamara garnered Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Most Valuable Player honors – for the second-consecutive season – after averaging 24.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in three conference tourney tilts last week. The sophomore point guard netted 31 points with seven assists and four boards and connected for several huge three-point shots in a thrilling double-overtime semifinal victory over Johnson & Wales on Thursday. McNamara capped the week with 24 points, five assists, and five caroms in an overtime triumph over Emmanuel College in the GNAC Championship on Saturday.
Chosen as the GNAC Player of the Year and a 2017 First Team All-Conference selection, McNamara is the top three-point shooter in the NCAA DIII Northeast Region with 76 trifectas – an SJC single-season record – so far this winter. She also leads the GNAC with 134 assists and ranks second in the conference in FT% (80.2%, 85-106), fourth in 3FG% (36.9%, 76-206) and points (449), and fifth in scoring average (16.0 PPG).
McNamara shares the MWBCA Player of the Week honor with University of New England senior forward Alicia Brown (Greenland, N.H.), who averaged 24 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 54% from the field and 73% from the FT line in three Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament games last week.
Advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years, Saint Joseph's (24-4, 15-1 GNAC) is set to play #4 Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts in opening-round action on Friday night at 7:00 PM.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
