Rust, Tougaloo, Oakwood, Wiley claim Week 12 HBCUAC WBB Awards

NEW ORLEANS - January 20, 2025 - Rust College women's basketball player Patsy Johnson wins Historically Black Colleges and Universities Athletic Conference (HBCUAC) Offensive Player of the Week. Tougaloo College's Makaila Brown earns Defensive Player of the Week. Oakwood University's Saniya Keys garners Freshman Player of the Week. Wiley University's Mary Leday takes home Newcomer of the Week. The athletes were recognized for their performances between January 13-19, the conference announced on Monday.

Johnson averaged 17.7 points per game in three contests. Her 26 points helped the Lady Bearcats defeat Voorhees University on Monday. She followed with 15 points against Oakwood on Thursday and 12 points against Stillman College on Saturday. She shot 56.3 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from 3-point territory. Johnson added eight assists.

Brown posted 36 rebounds with 28 on defense, eight steals and four blocks leading Tougaloo to two victories. She grabbed 20 rebounds with 17 on defense, stole the ball five times and blocked two shots in a 64-59 victory over Dillard on Thursday. In Saturday's victory over Southern University at New Orleans, Brown tallied 16 rebounds with 11 defensive, three steals and two blocks. This is her fifth weekly honor.

Keys scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds in a 74-52 victory over Rust on Thursday. She shot 8-for-12 from the field and recorded one steal. Keys retook the conference lead averaging 18.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. This is her 12th weekly honor.

Leday topped her career-scoring high twice with two games of 20 or more points. Twelve of her 19 made field goals were from 3-point territory. She scored 20 points in Wiley's rout over the College of Biblical Studies and followed that performance with 21 points against the University of the Virgin Islands. She has scored in double figures in four of her last six games and raised her scoring average to 9.3 points per game. Leday also contributed nine assists and contributed defensively with eight rebounds per game and nine steals. This is her second weekly honor.

Additional women's basketball weekly nominees: Kashay Bass (Virgin Islands), Limaya Batimba (Stillman), Morgan Bone (Oakwood), Shy'Keira Brown (Voorhees), Constance Chaplin (Wilberforce), Kaelin Davis (Voorhees), Brayland Ferguson (Tougaloo), Jada Hairston (Wilberforce), Jordan Harris (SUNO), JaSharreah Hunt (Tougaloo), Ashlyn Kimble (Philander Smith), Maliah LaCour (Virgin Islands), DeJaria Lewis (Talladega), Cassidy Lowe (Dillard), Jaida Minter (Stillman), Jessica Nerestant (Wiley), Farrah Pearson (Stillman), Tierra Sylvas (SUNO), Raena Suggs (Stillman), Miracle Thomas (Philander Smith), Dasia Turner (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.