After another busy week of women's hoops, here's who stood out:
Allyson Fertig, Wyoming
Wyoming sophomore center Allyson Fertig averaged 25.0 points, 7.5 rebounds on 20-of-30 shooting from the floor in wins over Nevada and Colorado State as the Cowgirls topped 20 wins on the season.
Fertig opened the week with 23 points, nine rebounds and two assists on 11-of-14 shooting in an 81-66 win over Nevada on Feb. 23. She then followed that up with a new career-high 27 points against Colorado State on Feb. 25. Fertig added a block, an assist and a pair of steals in the 76-60 win while shooting 9-for-16 from the floor and going 9-of-10 at the free-throw line.
Wyoming, 20-9 overall and 13-5 in Mountain West Conference play, are off this week. The Cowgirls are the No. 2 seed in next week's Mountain West Conference Tournament in Las Vegas.
Jordyn Jenkins, UTSA
UTSA junior Jordyn Jenkins enjoyed a standout week that included averaging 33.0 points per game over three wins while posting a career-high 40 points in one outing. She also broke the school’s single-season scoring record in the process.
Jenkins led the Roadrunners in scoring in all three games last week, including a 68-67 overtime win over North Texas on the road on Feb. 20, a 77-61 win over Florida Atlantic at home on Feb. 23, and a 85-79 win over Florida International in the home finale on Feb. 25. The three wins mark UTSA's longest winning streak this season and helped the Roadrunners jump from 10th to 7th in the Conference USA standings.
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On the week, the Kent, Wash., native had a career-high 40-point game, 26-point game and 33-point game. With 99 points, Jenkins officially broke the UTSA program record for points scored in a single season. She now has 587 points this season, beating the previous record of 583 (which was set 32 years ago by Tammy Rogers in 1990-91).
With 11 rebounds paired with 40-point performance against North Texas on Feb 20, she notched her ninth double-double of the season, leading the conference in the category. Jenkins leads the conference in seven categories - 50.0 field goal percentage, 208 field goals, 190 free throw attempts, 149 free throws, 587 points, 21.0 points per game and 213 rebounds.
The Roadrunners, 10-18 overall and 8-11 in conference play, conclude the regular season at Charlotte on March 2.
Danae McNeal, East Carolina
East Carolina senior guard Danae McNeal was electric in scoring a career-high 34-points in an important triple overtime win over Houston that secured the 20th win of the season for the Pirates.
McNeal added four steals while playing 53 minutes in the 88-83 win over Houston on Feb. 22. East Carolina came back from being down 12 points with under six minutes to play in regulation to prevail in the thriller. Key to the win was McNeal’s work at the free throw line, where she knocked down 13 of her 15 attempts.
East Carolina closed out the regular season with a 64-56 loss at Tulane on Feb. 25 that ended a six-game winning streak for the Pirates. McNeal scored 24 points in the game despite being limited by foul trouble.
The Pirates, 20-9 overall and 11-5 in American Athletic Conference play, are off this week for their bye as they gear up for the AAC Tournament in Fort Worth, Texas. Having already earned a top-five seed, the Pirates will open play on March 7.
Te-Hina Paopao, Oregon
Oregon junior Te-Hina Paopao has now recorded three straight 20-point performances and last week averaged 22.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game as the Ducks rolled to home wins over No. 14 Arizona and Arizona State. Paopao shot 63.3 percent from the field (14-for-22) and 66.7 percent from three (12-of-18).
Paopao dropped a season-high 23 points in a 77-48 win over the Sun Devils on Senior Day Saturday, including a career-best seven 3-pointers. She scored 20 points in the first half while going 6-of-7 from long range.
She went 5-for-8 from behind the 3-point line in Oregon’s 73-59 upset of the Wildcats on Feb. 23, leading all players with 21 points. Paopao also hauled in five rebounds and dished out three assists in helping the Ducks end their season-long seven-game losing streak.
Oregon, 16-13 overall and 7-11 in Pac-12 Conference play, next heads to the Pac-12 Tournament in Las Vegas as the No. 9 seed, where the Ducks will face eighth-seeded Washington in the first round on March 1.
Serah Williams, Wisconsin
Wisconsin freshman forward Serah Williams continued her stellar season averaging 9.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks for the week, playing a key role on both ends of the court as the Badgers earned a road win at Northwestern before defeating No. 12 Michigan at home.
The Badgers opened the week with a 64-57 win at Northwestern on Feb. 23 as Williams contributed five points to go with nine rebounds.
Williams’ best performance of the week came on Feb. 26 at home against Michigan, where she went for 14 points, five rebounds, and two blocks in the 78-70 win.
For the season, Williams has averaged 13.0 points and 5.4 rebounds while playing in all 30 regular season games for the 11-19 Badgers.
Wisconsin, 6-12 in Big Ten Conference play, finished as the No. 10 seed and will open up its Big Ten Tournament against No. 7 seed Purdue on March 2.
