Week five of the season presented a number of standout performances, here are five of the best through games played Monday, December 13.
Mya Burns, Georgia Southern
Behind the strong play of junior guard Mya Burns, Georgia Southern broke the school single-game scoring record in back-to-back games over the last week.
In the Eagles’ 121-105 win over Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Burns scored a career-high 24 points. She hit 9-of-18 shots from the floor, including 3-of-7 from three-point range, and eclipsed her previous career-high of 20 points set earlier this season against Florida International. Her final basket of the game was a three-pointer that enabled the Eagles to set a new school record for points in a game. The 121 points scored by Georgia Southern eclipsed the 119 scored against Eckerd College on December 3, 1982, in a 119-49 win over the Tritons.
On Monday, Burns had five points and five rebounds as Georgia Southern again broke the school single-game scoring record by 12 points in a 133-15 win over Carver College. In addition to the single-game scoring record, the Eagles also set a new record for margin of victory with 118 points (old record: 72, set in a 111-39 win over Tift College on January 22, 1975) and also set a new record for fewest points allowed in a game (old record: 29, set vs. Elon on January 26, 2009).
Burns and the Eagles (8-2) return to action on Friday, visiting Kennesaw State.
TEAM OF THE WEEK: Georgia Tech women's basketball is Week 6's Team of the Week
Dee Dee Davis, Manhattan
Dee Dee Davis led the way for Manhattan last week, averaging 23.5 points per game, 8.0 rebounds per game, 3.0 assists per game, and 2.0 steals per game.
In the "Battle of the Bronx" against Fordham, the junior guard scored a game-high 27 points with eight rebounds, two assists, and a block as Manhattan came up short, 65-63. In the fourth period, Davis took her game to another level scoring the final 14 Jasper points — including 10-straight to cap a 13-0 run for the Jaspers.
Later on in the week in a 56-44 non-conference win over Dartmouth, Davis stepped up in the absence of Preseason All-MAAC honorees Courtney Warley and Emily LaPointe, notching her third 20-point performance of the year. The team captain finished with 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals guiding Manhattan to the 12-point victory.
For the season, the Bronx native is averaging 16.2 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, and 1.7 steals per game.
Manhattan, 5-4, will next play at Niagara on Dec. 19.
Lauren Heard, TCU
TCU guard Lauren Heard scored a season-high 33 points in helping guide the Horned Frogs to an 87-75 upset win over No. 18-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday.
The Denton, Texas native was 18-of-21 from the free-throw line on the day, which included draining 13-of-14 in just the fourth quarter. The 18 free throws made rank second-most in TCU single-game history and is tied for second-most on the Big 12 Conference's all-time list for free throws made in a game.
For the season, the senior is averaging a team-best 18.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Heard’s points per game average rank her fifth in the Big 12 this season.
The Horned Frogs (4-4) are back in action this Sunday, Dec. 19, hosting Incarnate Word.
LATEST RANKINGS: Power 10 | AP Top 25 | NET
Charlisse Leger-Walker, Washington State
Washington State sophomore Charlisse Leger-Walker averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists in a pair of come-from-behind wins this week at Gonzaga (51-49) on Dec. 8 and at home against Boise State (62-55) on Dec. 12.
Leger-Walker got her week started by scoring a team-high 14 points to help Washington State pick up its first win at Gonzaga since 2014. The Cougars also became just the third team to win at Gonzaga since 2018. The guard followed up Wednesday's performance with a team-best 23 points in a comeback win over Boise State at Beasley Coliseum. With the win over Boise State, Washington State has won 13 of its last 14 home games against non-conference foes. Leger-Walker played a huge role in both comebacks, as she scored a combined 28 points in the second half of the two games.
A 5-11 guard from Waikato, New Zealand, Leger-Walker currently leads the Cougars in scoring, averaging 16.6 points per game.
Washington State, 8-1, opens a brief two-game road trip this week to close out the non-conference portion of its 2021-22 schedule. The Cougars will next take on BYU this Saturday, Dec. 18 before playing at Cornell on Dec. 19.
Maddy Siegrist, Villanova
Villanova junior forward Maddy Siegrist returned to action last week, making her presence felt by averaging 32.0 points and 13.0 rebounds in leading the Wildcats to wins over James Madison and No. 23 Oregon State.
Her best effort of the week came at James Madison on Dec. 9 when she had 36 points and 17 rebounds in a 76-67 win. It marked a return to the Villanova lineup for Siegrist, who was coming back after missing the previous six games due to an injury. Siegrist was sensational in the win, shooting 13-of-26 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range and 9-of-14 from the foul line.
In the 56-52 home win over No. 23 ranked Oregon State, Siegrist registered 28 points and nine rebounds. She went over the 1,200 career point mark and now has 1,214 points. It was Villanova's first win over a ranked opponent since a win over No. 12 DePaul on Feb. 23, 2020.
Over the two games, Siegrist shot 22-of-48 from the field (.458), 4-of-10 from three-point range (.400) and 16-of-22 from the foul line (.727). Siegrist has now played in four games for Villanova this year and is averaging 21.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per contest.
Villanova, 5-5, returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 21, with a road game at La Salle.
