Courtesy of NSU Sports Information

Women's Basketball

NSU's Hicks Leads Five on BoxToRow Women's All-America Teams

Norfolk State's Chanette Hicks was named the BoxToRow Women's Basketball Player of the Year, as BoxToRow announced its women's All-America Teams on Monday. In addition, Bethune-Cookman's Vanessa Blair-Lewis was named Coach of the Year, and in all, five Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) student-athletes were recognized.

Joining Hicks on the First Team are Morgan State's Chelsea Mitchell and North Carolina Central's Paulina Afriyie. Coppin State's Chance Graham and Bethune-Cookman's Amaya Scott were named to the Second Team.

Hicks, the MEAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, is among the nation’s best on both sides of the ball this season, ranking second in steals per game (a MEAC-best 4.9 per game) and 13th in scoring (20.0 points per game). Her 226 made field goals are the sixth-most among Div. I players, and Hicks has been key in the Spartans going 12-4 in league play this season and earning the tournament’s No. 2 seed. She ranks eighth in the MEAC in field goal percentage (.471), and she also leads the MEAC with 5.0 assists per contest. In conference play, Hicks averaged 18.2 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game, and she had 16 20-point games – including three 30-point efforts and one triple-double (20 points, 14 assists, 11 steals against Virginia University of Lynchburg).

Mitchell, a First Team All-MEAC selection, led the MEAC in rebounding, pulling down 9.7 boards per contest, and her 15.6 points per game ranked second in the conference. She was also third in field goal percentage (.505), while also ranking second in steals (3.5 per game) and leading in both offensive and defensive rebounding. Her 14 double-doubles were tied for most in the MEAC this season.

Afriyie also had 14 double-doubles this season, and she was named First Team All-MEAC. She ranked second in the conference in rebounding (9.6 per game) and fourth in scoring (14.5 points per game), and she also ranked fourth in field goal percentage (.505). Afriyie was also eighth in free throw percentage (.708) and tied for sixth in blocked shots (1.2 per game).

Graham had 11 double-doubles this season, and she ranked third in reounding with 9.2 per contest. Eighth on the MEAC's all-time rebounding list (1,167), Graham was also ninth in the conference in free throw percentage (.695) and in blocked shots (0.9 per game).

Scott led the MEAC in field goal percentage (.525), and her 12.9 points per game were ninth in the league.

Blair-Lewis led the Lady Wildcats to the MEAC regular-season title with a 15-1 mark, and Bethune-Cookman went 23-6 overall to record its fourth straight 20-win season.