NORFOLK, Va., Nov. 15, 2022—Morgan State senior guard Ja’Niah Henson and Norfolk State sophomore forward Kierra Wheeler were selected as the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Women’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week, presented by Coca-Cola, the conference office announced today. North Carolina Central freshman guard Jerni Kiaku was named Rookie of the Week. Norfolk State graduate guard Camille Downs was named Defensive Player of the Week.
 
Henson (5-3, Sr., G, Baltimore, Md.) averaged 16.0 points a game in helping the Bears open the season 3-0, going a combined 18-for-36 (.500) from the floor and 9-for-18 (.500) from 3-point range. She opened the season with 16 points, four steals and two assists against Shepherd, then turned in a 22-point effort with four made 3-pointers against Loyola (Md.) before ending the week with 10 points against Notre Dame (Md.).
 
Wheeler (6-1, So., F, Minneapolis, Minn.) averaged a double-double for the Spartans in three games, going for 11.3 points and 12.0 rebounds while also going a combined 16-for-27 (.590) from the floor. After opening the season with 13 points and 11 boards against Virginia University of Lynchburg, she had a 14-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over College of Charleston – a game in which she went 7-for-11 from the floor.
 
Kiaku (5-7, Fr., G, Garner, N.C.) averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 3.0 assists for the Eagles this past week and notched double-digit scoring performances against Johnson C. Smith (13) and Campbell (16). She went 6-for-9 from the floor against Campbell (to go along with four assists and three steals), and she nearly posted a double-double against FIU with nine points and eight rebounds. She also grabbed five steals in that contest.
 
Downs (5-10, Gr., G, Fredericksburg, Va.) averaged 4.0 steals and 5.3 rebounds per game in three contests for the Spartans. Of her 16 total rebounds for the week, 14 came on the defensive end (and she had a week-high eight boards against College of Charleston). She grabbed six steals and six rebounds at Penn State, and there were another four steals against Virginia University of Lynchburg.
 
Other Top Performers
Mossi Staples (Coppin State) had three steals each against Pitt and Winthrop.
 
Jewel Watkins (Coppin State) dropped a career-high 24 points in a win at Winthrop.
 
Aziah Hudson (Howard) dropped 24 points, going 9-for-9 from the free throw line, against George Washington.
 
Nile Miller (Howard) had four points, six rebounds and a blocked shot in a win over La Salle.
 
Ja’la Bannerman (Maryland Eastern Shore) scored 12 points against Washington College.
 
Mya Thomas (Maryland Eastern Shore) scored 17 points against Washington College and 11 against George Washington.
 
Jael Butler (Morgan State) had 20 points and five rebounds against Notre Dame (Md.).
 
Charlene Shepherd (Morgan State) had three steals against Loyola (Md.) and four against Notre Dame (Md.).
 
Skye Robinson (Norfolk State) opened with 10 points and 14 rebounds against Virginia University of Lynchburg.