The DII women's basketball All-Stats Starting Five for January

There is one month of the DII women's basketball regular season remaining, and as teams are building their tournament resumes, these players continue to fill the box score every game. 

This All-Stats team for January sees many returning faces, as well as a very impressive debut at forward. Your monthly reminder: This team is based purely on statistical leaders in DII women’s basketball. Some may be outright No. 1 in a single category, while others are sometimes top-five in several categories. 

LOOK BACK: All-Stats Starting Five for December

The January DII women’s basketball All-Stats Starting Five

(Note: All games through Jan. 31, per NCAA.org)

Guard — Ariel Jones, Shippensburg

Jones has been one of the best scorers in DII women's basketball since she was PSAC freshman of the year in 2017-18. Over that same span, she has seemingly always been mentioned in the All-Stats Starting Fives, either as a starter or honorable mention. This is Jones' first appearance in the top spot for 2022-23 and it is because she now leads the division with 24.5 points per game. Jones has the two highest-scoring games of the season with both a 51-point and 48-point outburst thus far. She is averaging 23.4 points per game for her career and when it's all said and done, will be remembered as one of the best scorers in DII history, sitting at exactly 2,500 points as of Feb. 1, which is 550 points shy of the DII women's basketball career record and 11th all-time.

Guard — Morgan Robinson, Jefferson

Back and forth Caitlyn Ross and Robinson go, and this month it is Robinson who gets the nod, leading DII women's basketball with 7.8 assists per game. She has the uncanny ability to turn around a game without having to score. Robinson scores only 9.4 points per game but is second on the team in rebounds (7.7 per game) and steals (55 total), and of course runs the offense with all those assists. With seven regular season games left, Robinson is on pace to shatter her career-best marks across the board.

Honorable mentions: Brittney Cedeno, Dominican (CA); Caitlyn Ross, UVA Wise; Lauryn Vieira, Eckerd

SURPRISE, SURPRISE: 7 teams of to unexpected starts

Forward — Emilee Weakley, Frostburg State

It's quite a feat to be second in DII women's basketball in scoring, but it is downright impressive to be doing it as a freshman. The 5-foot-11 forward has been a bright spot for the Bobcats in a tough season with nightly averages of 23.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. In January alone, Weakley had three 30-point performances and a run of five straight double doubles. Welcome to DII women's basketball.

Forward — Jami Tham, Tusculum

Tham has been a mainstay in the All-Stats Starting Five for nearly the whole season. She is currently second in DII women's basketball with 14.0 rebounds per game and leads the division by a wide margin with 21 double doubles... in 22 games. She averages 18.0 points per game on a very strong 54.5% shooting, a mark that leads the South Atlantic Conference. Simply put, Tham is having one of the most consistent, all-around seasons in the division. 

Honorable mentions: Jaclyn Jarnot, West Florida; Mackenzie Johnson, Young Harris; Brooke Littrell, Central Missouri; Arriana Manzay, West Liberty; Brooke Olson, Minnesota Duluth; Annie Roshak, Ashland 

RANKINGS: The latest DII women's basketball Power 10

Center — Samantha Bowman, Central Washington

This is the toughest spot every month. Abby Spurgin and Bowman have been two of the better players in DII women's basketball this season, not simply centers. This month, Bowman returns to the starting five because her stats are strong across the board. She leads the division with 14.7 rebounds per game, including a DII-best (men's or women's) 11.2 defensive rebounds per game. She is second in double-doubles with 17 and is averaging 20.4 points per game on 57.6% shooting. And, if you sleep on her as a post player on the outside, she'll bury you from 3, going 20 for 40 on the season so far. It's just a dominating performance — that's all there is to it. 

Honorable mentions: Abby Spurgin, Hawaii Pacific