Brits in College Women | February/March recap

February and March were action-packed months for British talents in women’s college basketball as the regular season came to an end, ahead of March Madness

Here’s your full recap:

NCAA Division 1

Fatmata Janneh is having a fantastic season with Saint Peter’s and posted top performances in each of her games in February and March. She started with a 26-point, 18-rebound outing against Mount St Mary’s, then tallied 26 points, seven rebounds and five steals against Siena. The sophomore then dropped a near triple-double game in a win over Mount St Mary’s with 17 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. However, the Peacocks fell in the first round of the MAAC Championship at the hands of Iona, despite Fatmata’s impressive game (18 pts, 17 rebs, 3 blks). Nonetheless, her outstanding performances earned her a spot on the All-MAAC First Team. Fatmata Janneh averaged 18.2 points and 11.6 rebounds per game through the season.

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Susie Rafiu and Columbia managed five wins in six game in February, in this period, she posted three double-digit performances. She started the month with a 12-point outing against Dartmouth, in their second game against this opponent, she put up a dominant 12-point, 16-rebound double-double, including an impressive 10 offensive boards. She then tied her season-high 16 points in a win over Brown. In March, she dropped 10 points, seven rebounds and seven assists against Cornell to help her side to reach the Ivy league conference tournament semi-final. She then posted a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double against Pennsylvania to reach the conference final but her side ultimately lost to Harvard. The Lions will play Washington for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Issy Bunyan and Montana State ended the regular season at the top of the Big Sky conference with a 17-1 record, 30-3 overall. The sophomore recorded a season-high 15 points against Idaho State to help her side to reach the conference tournament final. The Bobcats then edged past Montana to qualify for the NCAA Tournament.

Grace Strickland had her best performance of the season with Mercyhurst in an OT win over Chicago State. The freshman tallied a season-high 12 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench. However, the Lakers only secured two wins across six games in February. They ended 5th in the NEC with a 6-10 record (9-18 overall).

Loren Christie and Xavier University went winless in February across seven games. In this stretch, the senior recorded two double figure outings. She netted 12 points against Seton Hall, then she scored 10 points against Providence. The Musketeers finished last in the Big East conference with a 1-17 record (7-24 ovr). Their season ended with a narrow defeat against Seton Hall in the Big East quarter-final.

Erin Powell dropped her best game of the season as Colorado took down Houston. The freshman posted an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double performance off the bench. She then tallied seven points and six rebounds in a loss to Baylor. The Buffaloes ended the season 9th in the Big 12 with a 9-8 record (18-10 ovr). Colorado lost to Hailey Van Lith’s TCU in the quarter-final of the conference tournament.

Esther Little and Gonzaga finished the regular season at the top of the WCC conference with a 17-3 record, 22-10 overall. In February, the Bulldogs secured 6 wins in seven games. In this period, the senior showcased her great rebounding abilities, recording three double-digits games in rebounds. Her best performance came against St Mary’s with eight points and a season-high 12 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, however, the Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking loss to Oregon State in the conference tournament semi-final.

NCAA Division 2

Ella Doherty is having a great season offensively as she recorded 25 points in a narrow loss against Cal State East Bay and then tallied 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists against CSUSB.  The guard averaged 12.8 points and 5.4 rebounds on the season and earned All-CCAA Team Honourable mention.

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Zoe Sharpe started February perfectly, recording three consecutive double-digit games. Her best performance was a season-high 19-point outing in a loss to Catawba, she then registered three 12-point games. She averaged 7.1 points per game, while shooting 40% from deep on the season.

Simona Henshaw posted multiple double-digit games with Edward Waters in the period. The power forward started off with a 13-point, six-rebound outing in a loss against Savannah State in one of her best performances of the season. She then netted 12 points as her side took revenge on Savannah State. Her best game came as Edward Waters took down Fort Valley State. The senior put up an all-around performance tallying 10 points, six rebounds, four steals and four blocks. They have a 16-9 record on the season.

Violet Stutz started three games in February. In one of them, she netted 10 points as Academy of Art fell at the hands of Dominican. Her side hold an 11-16 overall record on the season.

Shaniya Rose recorded one double-digit game in scoring and rebounding throughout the month. She had 10 points and six rebounds in a loss to USCA, in the following game, she grabbed 11 rebounds and scored six points in a win over Aiken. USCB hold a 6-19 record on the season.

Ella Pearson only featured in three games in February for Newberry, enough for her to showcase her defensive prowess. In their narrow loss to Limestone, the senior guard recorded season-highs with 11 rebounds and six blocks.

JUCO

Tyra Phelan posted multiple standout performances throughout February/March. The freshman started the month with two consecutive double-digit games, including a season-high 15 points against Temple College. She then recorded a season-high 12 rebounds in a loss to McLennan Community College.

Meanwhile her teammate, Elia Ando recorded one of her best performances of the season with Cisco College as she posted 10 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a loss to Temple College. The freshman then registered eight points and 11 rebounds in a win over Southwestern Christian College.

Yazmin Edwards and Millie Pearson are both heading to the NJCAA National Tournament with Eastern Arizona College after a 75-43 victory over the College of Southern Nevada in the Region I Division I Championship and District Championship.

Rhia Saggar recorded her best game of the season with Eastern Wyoming as she scored a season-high 13 points against Laramie County Community College. However, her side went on to lose to Western Nebraska Community College in the Region IX Tournament.

Sarah Elfrey had the best performance of her season with Fort Hays as she dropped an all-around game with 12 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Later she netted 12 points against Barton Community College. Unfortunately, both performances came in losses.