Oakwood Duo, Wiley, Dillard claim Week 8 WBB Awards

NEW ORLEANS - December 16, 2024 - Oakwood University's Trenisha Adams wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Offensive Player of the Week. Saniya Keys garners Freshman of the Week. Wiley University's Jessica Nerestant brings home Defensive Player of the Week. Dillard University's Skyler Christmas earns Newcomer of the Week. The players were recognized for their performances between December 9 and 15, the conference announced on Monday.

Adams scored 56 points and assisted on 10 baskets in three games last week. She scored a high of 22 against Dillard on Friday. Adams had five assists against Dillard and Southern University of New Orleans. She ranks in the top 15 of the conference with 11.6 points per game.

Nerestant recorded two double-doubles to lead the Lady Wildcats to their first two conference victories. She put up 11 points and 15 rebounds in a 55-46 victory over Wilberforce University on Friday. On Saturday, she tallied 14 points and 14 rebounds in a 68-50 win over Rust College. Twenty of her 29 rebounds were on the defensive end. She also added eight steals. Nerestant ranks second in the HBCUAC with 7.1 defensive rebounds per game and fifth with 9.9 total rebounds.

Keys picks up her ninth weekly honor. She recorded three double-doubles - averaging 15.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per game. Keys' 15 points and 12 rebounds helped the Amabassadors defeat SUNO on Saturday. She leads the conference with 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

Christmas scored 28 points, recorded five steals and grabbed four rebounds in a victory over Oakwood University on Friday. She shot 7-for-10 from 3-point range. In Saturday's game against Stillman College, she recorded nine points on a 4-for-5 shooting performance in 12 minutes of playing time.

Additional women's basketball weekly nominees: Morgan Bone (Oakwood), Makaila Brown (Tougaloo), Ty'Shemia Bunkley (Voorhees), Talyia Cawthon (Rust), Inga Colclough (Voorhees), Kaelin Davis (Voorhees), Tamia Dolls (Wiley), Brayland Ferguson (Tougaloo), Alexis Gie (Dillard), Kameron Jones (Talladega), Ashlyn Kimble (Philander Smith), DeJaria Lewis (Talladega), Cassidy Lowe (Dillard), Courtney Lowe (Talladega), Michaela Payton (Rust), Farrah Pearson (Stillman), Amber Scott (Rust), Dasia Turner (Philander Smith), Jamariah Turner (Stillman), Ari Winston (Philander Smith)

2024-25 Women's Basketball Players of the Week

-HBCUAC-

About HBCU Athletic Conference
The HBCU Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) is the only HBCU conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The HBCUAC membership includes Dillard University (LA), Fisk University (TN), Oakwood University (AL), Philander Smith University (AR), Rust College (MS), Southern University at New Orleans (LA), Stillman College (AL), Talladega College (AL), Tougaloo College (MS), University of the Virgin Islands (St. Thomas), Voorhees University (SC), Wilberforce University (OH), and Wiley University (TX). HBCUAC sponsors championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's track and field, women's volleyball, softball, and baseball. In 2022, the HBCUAC secured the largest media rights deal in conference and NAIA history, signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Urban Edge Network. On July 1, 2024, the conference rebranded from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference (GCAC) to the HBCU Athletic Conference, marking a new era for the conference that embodies the makeup of its membership. For more information, visit hbcuac.org.