Four Schools claim Week 11 HBCUAC WBB Awards

NEW ORLEANS - January 13, 2025 - Southern University at New Orleans women's basketball player Jordan Harris wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Offensive Player of the Week. Rust College's Michaela Payton garners Defensive Player of the Week. Oakwood University Saniya Keys takes home Freshman of the Week, and 

Fisk University's Keeli Burton-Oliver earns Newcomer of the Week. The athletes were honored for their performances from January 6-12.

Harris averaged 21.3 points per game in three contests last week, leading the Lady Knights to two victories. She hit 47.8 percent of her shots from 3-point territory. Harris scored 27 points on seven made field goals in a victory over Voorhees University on Tuesday. In Saturday's win over the University of the Virgin Islands, she put up 11 points, two rebounds and two assists.

Payton tallied 14 rebounds and four blocks per game in two contests. She averaged 9.5 rebounds on the defensive glass. In the January 6 game against Dillard she grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots. Payton followed that performance with 12 rebounds and four blocks against Tougaloo on January 7. She leads the HBCUAC and ranks eighth in the NAIA with 12.3 rebounds per game.

Keys garners her 11th weekly award. She recorded two double-doubles to lead the Ambassadors to two victories. In the January 6 game against Wiley University, she scored 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. In Thursday's game against Fisk, Keys notched 12 points and 10 rebounds. She hit the game-winning shot as time expired in overtime. Keys continues to lead the conference with 18.3 points per game and ranks second with 11.6 rebounds per game.

Burton-Oliver put up two 20-plus scoring performances in three games last week. She scored 26 on January 6 to lead the Lady Bulldogs to an overtime victory over the Lady Knights. In Thursday's overtime game against Oakwood, Burton-Oliver tallied 21 points and hit the game-tying 3-pointer. For the week, she shot 55.9 percent from the field and 45.5 percent from 3-point territory.

Additional women's basketball nominees: Kashay Bass (Virgin Islands), Limaya Batimba (Stillman), Morgan Bone (Oakwood), Makaila Brown (Tougaloo), Talyia Cawthon (Rust), Tamia Dolls (Wiley), Jada Hairston (Wilberforce), Lelia Henderson (Stillman), JaSharreah Hunt (Tougaloo), Patsy Johnson (Rust), Maliah LaCour (Virgin Islands), Kayla Lee (Fisk), Cassidy Lowe (Dillard), Jessica Nerestant (Wiley), Farrah Pearson (Stillman), Imani Rothschild (Dillard), Dee Scott (Fisk), Tierra Sylvas (SUNO) Jakhiya Smith (SUNO), Raena Suggs (Stillman), Makyla Tucker (Wilberforce), Kyren Wilson (SUNO)

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.