CAA WEEKLY HONORS:

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Anika McGarity, Charleston

Sophomore | Guard / Forward | San Antonio, Texas / Smithson Valley

McGarity led Charleston to three wins in five days, averaging 18.7 points per game on 63.6% (21-33) shooting. The sophomore added 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals per game while shooting at a 53.4% (11-21) clip from distance. McGarity tallied a career-high 22 points, going 7-of-10 from three-point range, with five rebounds two steals and an assist, leading Charleston to a 77-59 win over Radford. She began the week by scoring a team-best 17 points, adding five rebounds, three steals and two assists as the Cougars defeated Agnes Scott (102-25) before concluding play with 17 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 3-for-5 from three, with three steals, two rebounds and one assist in a win over Florida A&M (83-60). McGarity has scored in double figures the previous five contests, helping Charleston enter CAA play on a five-game winning streak.

CONFERENCE NOTES:

STRINGING WWWWINS TOGETHER: Towson, Charleston and Drexel have strung together solid winning streaks. The Tigers have won their previous six games, while the Cougars and Dragons have won five straight. The CAA is one of only three conferences with three or more teams maintaining at least a five-game winning streak. 

HOME COURT ADVANTAGE: CAA teams proved hard to beat on their home court this season, posting a 31-13 record at home. Two teams remain undefeated on their home court, while five squads have only one loss at home.

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: It has been an impressive start to the 2021-22 season as CAA teams have combined for a 57-41 record. Six teams have recorded six or more victories and maintain a winning percentage at or above .600.    

FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS: A pair of CAA Players rank inside the top 15 nationally in field goal shooting percentage. Charleston's Arynn Eady leads the NCAA, shooting at a 71.8% clip, while Allie Kubek of Towson ranks 12th shooting 61.0% from the floor. 

PROLIFIC SCORING: Delaware's Jasmine Dickey ranks first in the NCAA, averaging 25.6 points per game, while a pair of teams rank inside the top 25 in scoring offense. As a team, 

Charleston ranks 16th in the nation averaging 81.1 points per game, and Towson ranks 22nd, scoring 79.8 points per game.

BLOCK PARTY: Charleston's Arynn Eady recorded seven blocks against UNCG, marking the most blocks in a single game by a CAA player this season. She ranks 19th in the NCAA, averaging 2.36 blocks per game, and is 18th with 26 total blocks. 

STONE COLD THIEVERY: Two CAA players rank inside the top 10 in steals per game nationally. Charleston's Jenna Annecchiarico ranks third nationally with 4.09 steals per game and 45 total steals. Claudia Soriano of Northeastern is eighth in the NCAA with 35 steals, ranking seventh with an average of 3.50 steals per game. 

DROPPING DIMES: Three CAA student-athletes rank inside the top 20 nationally in assists per game this season. Towson's Aleah Nelson ranks fourth in the NCAA in assists per game (6.7) and 12th in total assists (67), while Jenna Annecchiarico of Charleston ranks sixth in assists per game (6.5) and fifth in total assists (71). Elon's Brie Perpignan is 16th nationally in assists per game (5.8) and 46th in total assists (52).  

LOCKDOWN DEFENSE: Defense has been at a premium for CAA squads to begin the year as Six teams are holding opponents to under 60.0 points per game and limiting opponents to under 40% shooting. Drexel leads the league in scoring defense and ranks second in field goal percentage defense (35.1%). The Dragons are 20th in the NCAA, allowing 52.9 ppg. Towson leads the conference in field goal percentage defense and is third in scoring defense (59.0 ppg). The Tigers' 33.0% opponent field goal percentage ranks 12th nationally.

DREXEL DUO CRACKS 1,000 POINT BARRIER: Keishana Washington joined her teammate, Hannah Nihill, in the Drexel women's basketball 1,000 point club following 25 points against Yale on Dec. 14. Nihill eclipsed the milestone on Nov. 20 this season and has climbed to 22nd all-time on Drexel's scoring list with 1,086 points. Washington currently ranks 24th in program history with 1,012 career points.   

NOTHING BUT NET: In the latest edition of the NCAA NET rankings, five CAA teams hold steady in the top 150. Towson leads the way, ranking 76th, while Drexel cracked the top 100 at 96th. Elon was third, ranking 114th, with Delaware and Northeastern rounding out the top five at 141st and 147th, respectively. 

CAA IN THE COLLEGE INSIDER MID-MAJOR TOP 25: Four CAA teams: Delaware, Drexel, James Madison and Towson, received recognition in the College Insider Mid-Major Poll. Towson climbed to its highest ranking this season at 19th, followed by Drexel in 22nd, who entered the poll for the first time since Nov. 23. Delaware received votes, while James Madison continued to receive votes, marking the sixth straight week this season.

TEAM NOTES:

Charleston

• Charleston won three games in five days, defeating Agnes Scott (102-25), Radford (77-59) and Florida A&M (83-60).  

• Anika McGarity averaged 18.7 ppg on 63.6% shooting to lead Charleston. She added 4.0 rpg and 2.7 spg while shooting 53.4% from three. McGarity tallied a career-high with 22 points in the win over Radford. 

• Arynn Eady recorded 14.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 1.7 bpg throughout the week. She tallied a season-best 20 points with nine rebounds against Radford. 

• Jenna Annecchiarico contributed 12.0 ppg, 7.0 apg and 4.7 spg, including 17 points, eight assists and four steals against FAMU.

• Latrice Perkins added 10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 2.3 spg. She had 14 points, seven rebounds and five steals in the win over Radford.  

• Against Agnes Scott, Charleston set program records for field goals made (45), field goal attempts (89), assists (30) and steals (29).

• Charleston has won five consecutive games, marking the program's first five-game winning streak since 2009-10. 

Delaware

• Delaware had the week off, but last time out the Blue Hens dropped a 76-53 decision at Northwestern. 

• On the season, Jasmine Dickey leads Delaware with 25.6 points per game while ranking second on the team in rebounding (8.1 rpg) and assists (25). 

• Tyi Skinner leads the team with 39 assists and is the second-leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game.

• Ty Battle tops the CAA with six double-doubles this season, recording 12.7 points per game and leading the team with 9.5 rebounds per game.  

• Delaware ranks second in the CAA in rebounding (42.4 rpg) and rebounding margin (+5.4). 

• The Blue Hens have the third-highest scoring offense in the conference, averaging 71.2 points per game. 

• Delaware also is tied for second in the league in turnover margin (+4.0), turning the ball over at the second-lowest rate (12.8) in the conference. 

Drexel

• Drexel earned its fifth consecutive win, defeating Yale 59-52. 

• Keishana Washington recorded a game-high 25 points and grabbed a season-high eight rebounds. It marks her third straight game scoring 20 or more points. 

• Washington became the 27th member of the Drexel women's basketball 1,000 point club Tuesday. She ranks 24th all-time in Drexel program history with 1,012 career points. 

• Tessa Brugler recorded her fifth double-double of the season, securing a game-high 12 rebounds with 10 points. 

• Kate Connolly contributed six points, going 2-for-3 from long range and added four rebounds. 

• Drexel shot 47.6% from behind the arc and knocked down a season-high 10 three-pointers. 

• The Dragons have the top scoring defense in the CAA, allowing 52.9 ppg and lead the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.45). 

• Drexel's 8-2 start matches the 2016-17 team for the best 10-game start in program history. 

Elon

• Elon came from behind to defeat UNCG 52-49 in its lone game of the week. 

• Brie Perpignan led the Phoenix with 14 points, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. She added four assists, three rebounds and scored the game-winner with 1.4 seconds remaining. 

• Ariana Nance cracked double figures, adding 11 points. She has reached double figures in seven games this season. 

• Evonna McGill had a career-high five blocks while contributing eight points and five rebounds. 

• Kayla Liles led the team with six assists and three steals while grabbing six rebounds and scoring four points.

• Elon trailed for over 38 minutes against UNCG, but the Phoenix outscored the Spartans 17-3 in the final quarter, taking their only lead of the game with 1.4 seconds remaining in the contest.

• Elon is off to its best nine-game start since the 2017-18 season when it also started 7-2.

Hofstra

• Hofstra had both of its contests last week canceled due to COVID protocols. The Pride's last time out, they suffered a 59-37 setback to Ole Miss.  

• On the year, JaKayla Brown leads Hofstra with 13.0 points per game and is tied for the team lead in assists (16). 

• Jaylen Hines is contributing 11.3 points per game and leads the Pride grabbing 6.1 rebounds per contest. 

• Jaala Henry leads the team in blocks (6) and assists (16), ranking second in rebounding (4.1 rpg) and steals (10). She adds 6.5 points per game. 

• Rosi Nicholson paces the team in steals (14) and ranks third in assists (14). Nicholson contributes 4.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game as well.   

• Sorelle Ineza is recording 6.0 points and 3.4 rebounds per game this season. 

• Three of the Pride's eight games have been one-possession games, with Hofstra going 2-1 in those contests. 

James Madison

• James Madison had a break in its schedule, enjoying last week away from the court. The Dukes fell to West Virginia in overtime (75-68) in their previous contest.  

• This season, Kiki Jefferson leads JMU, averaging 18.2 points per game, second-best in the CAA.  

• Jamia Hazell is the Dukes' second-leading scorer, putting up 13.7 points per game. She has reached double figures scoring in eight games this season. 

• Jaylin Carodine leads JMU in rebounding with 8.8 rebounds per game. She has recorded eight or more rebounds in the previous seven games. 

• Claire Neff is contributing 7.4 points and 4.1 rebounds per game this season while ranking second on the team in blocks (8) and steals (11). 

• Annalicia Goodman tops the team in blocks (10), adding 6.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.  

• Against West Virginia, the Dukes made seven three-point field goals (7-17) after only making five three-points in their previous four games combined.  

UNCW

• UNCW went 0-2, falling to Norfolk State 67-56 before a 79-50 setback to East Carolina. 

• Sierra DaCosta paced UNCW with 12.0 ppg, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively. She has reached double figures scoring in five straight contests. 

• Micah Hoggatt contributed 11.5 ppg and 5.0 rpg, including 12 points with eight rebounds against Norfolk State. 

• Evan Miller tied a career-high with 10 points and added five rebounds against ECU.

• Rinnah Green notched a pair of career-highs, recording nine points and four assists in the setback to Norfolk State. 

• Carrie Gross added 9.5 ppg, scoring a team-high 13 points versus ECU.  

• Allie Best averaged 5.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She had a season-high eight points at Norfolk State before a team-best five assists against ECU.  

• UNCW leads the CAA in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 34.1% from deep.  

Northeastern

• Northeastern fell in its lone game of the week to cross-town rival Harvard (75-43). 

• Gemima Motema led Northeastern with 11 points and five rebounds, shooting 5-of-7 from the field.  

• Kendall Currence tallied 11 points, marking her fifth straight contest in double figures. She added three rebounds and one steal. 

• Maddie Vizza made her season debut, scoring six points, going 2-of-3 from behind the arc. 

• Emily Calabrese paced the Huskies with six rebounds and added six points with two steals.

• Northeastern turned the ball over 26 times compared to eight for Harvard, while the Crimson outscored the Huskies 29-4 in points off turnovers.

• Overall, Harvard shot 44.6% (29-65) from the field and 41.7% (10-24) from three, while Northeastern shot 37.5% (18-48) and 21.1% (4-19), respectively.  

Towson

• Towson saw its final two non-conference games canceled due to COVID protocols. 

• On the season, Aleah Nelson leads Towson with 17.2 ppg and tops the CAA with 6.7 apg. She also averages 6.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. 

• Allie Kubek is second on the team with 15.7 points per while grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game. 

• Anissa Rivera leads the team in rebounding (7.6 rpg) and is third on the team in scoring (12.4 ppg).  

• Towson leads the CAA in rebounding (45.7 rpg), posting a +8.6 rebounding margin to top the league. 

• The Tigers are second in the conference in scoring offense (79.8 ppg) and lead the CAA in scoring margin (+20.8). 

• Defensively, Towson paces the league in blocks per game (4.5) and field goal percentage defense (33.0%). 

• With a 9-1 record, Towson is off to its best start since 2006-07 (10-1).

William & Mary

• William & Mary got back in the win column, defeating Norfolk State (55-50) to close out its non-conference schedule. 

• Sydney Wagner led William & Mary, scoring a season-high 25 points, shooting 8-of-16 from the field and 7-of-12 from three.

• Bre Bellamy contributed 13 points, six rebounds, five assists, two steals and one block. 

• Riley Casey chipped in six points, two rebounds and one assist in her first game since Nov. 23. 

• Kate Sramac had a team-high six assists, adding four points and four rebounds in the effort.

• Overall, William & Mary shot 40.9% (18-44) from the field and 36.0% (9-25) while limiting Norfolk State to 30.4% (14-46) shooting and no three-point field goals (0-13).

• The Tribe held a 34-25 advantage on the glass, and William & Mary assisted on 16 of its 18 made field goals.