These women’s basketball players posted big-time performances and were named to the NCAA.com starting five this week.
Amaris Baker, Drexel
Amaris Baker led Drexel to a 2-0 week against two of the Coastal Athletic Conference’s top teams this past weekend, averaging 21.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
The senior guard posted team-highs in both games, with 19 points against Charleston, including a clutch 3-pointer with 1:06 to go that led to a 58-56 win on Jan. 24.
Baker followed two days later with 24 points against Elon on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor as the Dragons rolled to a 64-37 win. Baker played for 67 minutes over the two contests and assisted the Drexel defense in holding opponents to just 27-for-114 from the field and 6-for-45 from deep.
The Philadelphia native leads the CAA and sits 33rd nationally in points per game, averaging 19.0 through her first 17 games.
Drexel, 9-8 overall and 5-2 in CAA play, next travels to Boston to play the Northeastern Huskies on Jan. 31.
Lauren Betts, UCLA
UCLA junior Lauren Betts averaged 27.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 6.0 blocks per game shooting 75 percent from the field (36-of-48) in UCLA’s 3-0 road trip to the East Coast.
The center started the week out with a near-triple-double, recording 24 points, nine rebounds and a program-record-setting nine blocks in a 72-57 win over No. 25 Baylor at the Coretta Scott King Classic in Newark, New Jersey on Jan. 20.
Betts then followed with a 25-point, 13-rebound outing at Rutgers in an 84-66 win for the Bruins. It was her 11th double-double of the season.
The star post finished the road swing with a career-high 33 points on 14-of-15 shooting to help take down No. 8 Maryland, 82-67 on Sunday. Betts also had seven rebounds, four assists and four blocks in the top-10 victory over the Terps, in what was UCLA’s fifth ranked win of the year.
The No. 1 ranked Bruins return home to Pauley Pavilion to host Minnesota on Feb. 1.
Gianna Kneepkens, Utah
Utah junior guard Gianna Kneepkens posted back-to-back 30 point games last week in leading the Utes to a pair of wins.
Kneepkens started the week by putting up a double-double against Kansas with a then career-high 30 points and a season-high 10 rebounds as Utah won at home, 79-61. She was just shy of the triple-double as she added a season-high eight assists to her stat line against the Jayhawks. She went 12-of-18 from the field and connected on six 3-point field goals, both career-highs.
On Jan. 25 against BYU, Kneepkens topped her recently set career-high of 30 points by dropping 32 points against the Cougars including a new career-high of 10 made free throws as Utah won 81-76. She also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded two assists and three steals against the Cougars.
Over the two games, she averaged 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two steals per game. She shot 58.8% from the field, 66.7% from the three and 83.3% from the line. Kneepkens’ 31.0 points per game led all Big 12 Conference players during the week and ranked fourth in the country.
Kneepkens has put up four consecutive 20-point games and has 20-or-more points six different times this season. She’s averaging 18.8 points per game this season and shooting 50.2% from the field, 47.0% from the three and 89.9% from the line. With 12 made three-pointers last week, Kneepkens now sits at No. 8 in the nation in total three-pointers (62). She is also No. 7 in the nation in three-pointers per game (3.10) and No. 6 in the nation in three-point percentage (47.0).
Utah, 15-5 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play, will return to action on Jan. 31, hosting Arizona.
Sarah Strong, UConn
UConn freshman forward Sarah Strong led the Huskies to two wins last week while averaging 24.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.5 blocks and 3.5 steals per game on a .630/.500/.923 shooting split.
Against Villanova on Jan. 22, Strong led UConn with 22 points while adding four rebounds, five assists and two blocks as the Huskies rolled to a 100-57 win. Strong shot 8-for-10 vs. the Wildcats.
At Creighton on Saturday, Strong led the Huskies with 26 points and 12 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season as UConn won its ninth straight game, 72-61. She also had three assists, four blocks and five steals.
This season, Strong leads UConn in rebounds (166), blocks (25) and steals (51), while averaging 17.6 points per game, second only to Paige Bueckers (19.6).
The Huskies, 19-2 overall and 10-0 in Big East Conference play, are back in action at DePaul on Jan. 29.
Katelyn Young, Murray State
Murray State’s all-time leading scorer, Katelyn Young was a dominant force this week in wins over Indiana State and Evansville, averaging 29 points and eight rebounds while shooting 73 percent from the field and a perfect 13-13 from the free throw line while dishing out five assists on the week. The Racers averaged 100.5 points in the two wins.
Murray State rolled over Indiana State, 97-71 on Jan. 24 as Young filled the stat sheet with 33 points, nine rebounds and four assists. The 33-point night is a season-high for Young and is her 10th game of 30 points or more in her career.
The graduate student followed with 25 points and seven rebounds in only 23 minutes in Murray State’s 104-66 home win over Evansville on Jan. 26. The Oakwood, Illinois, native moved into the top 50 all-time in Division I scoring in the win over the Purple Aces and ranks as the active career leading in scoring.
Winners of six-straight contests, Murray State moved to 14-4 overall and into a tie for first place with Belmont at 8-1 in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Racers next travel to Belmont on Saturday in a battle for the conference lead.
