Feb. 15, 2022
For Immediate Release
Contact: Mel Greenberg
215-815-5943
Villanova earns National Team of the Week honor
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SIEGRIST, MORROW ARE USBWA WOMEN'S
NATIONAL, FRESHMAN PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

INDIANAPOLIS (USBWA) – For the season's eleventh honorees for games of the week ending Sunday, Feb. 13, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's National Player of the Week goes to Villanova forward Maddy Siegrist for the second time this season, the organization's Tamika Catchings women's freshman player honor goes to DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow for the third time, and the USBWA women's team citation goes to Villanova.

Siegrist
Morrow

Siegrist, a 6-1 junior forward from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., a previous USBWA player and freshman weekly honoree, in three games last week averaged 30.0 points per game and 12.0 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.7 percent from the field. Her best effort of the week came in a 74-63 overtime win against Marquette when she scored a career-high 42 points on 14-of-25 shooting from the field, including a 2-of-6 effort from three-point range and a 12-of-12 performance from the foul line.

Two of her free throws came with under a second remaining in regulation that sent the game to overtime. Her total was one short of the Big East record set by Louisville's Angel McCoughtry in 2009 and two off the Wildcats' mark set by Shelly Pennefather in 1985.

Siegrist, who has won 20 total Big East weekly honors (player and freshman), also tallied 17 points and 12 rebounds in a 72-69 upset win at No. 8 UConn and she had 31 points and 11 boards in Sunday's loss at Seton Hall.

She currently leads the Big East in scoring at 26.4 points per game (second in the nation) and is second in rebounding at 9.9 per game.

Morrow, a 6-1 forward from Chicago, Ill., who set a Big East record this week with her 11th freshman honor, averaged 24.0 points and 17.0 rebounds in a road swing at No. 8 UConn and Georgetown. Two weeks ago she became the first in conference history to win dual weekly honors three times.

Against the Huskies, she totaled 20 points and 16 rebounds to go along with two blocks. In Sunday's 105-104 double-overtime victory over the Hoyas, Morrow went for 28 points and 18 rebounds along with four steals and four assists. She shot 45.0 percent for the week and was a perfect 9-for-9 from the line.

Her 240 rebounds this season in conference games is eight short of the record 248 set by Natalie Butler in 2013-14 and her overall 369, which leads the nation, is nearing the DePaul season record of 397 set by Diana Vines in 1986-87.

Though Villanova's nine-game streak ended Sunday – the Wildcats' fifth contest in 10 days – the Wildcats still have earned the USBWA's team of the week honor for a win in Hartford, ending then-No. 8 UConn's 169-game unbeaten combo conference run dating to 2013 at the start of the American Athletic Conference and continuing in the Huskies' move back to the reconfigured Big East. Having one day to prepare, the Wildcats came from behind at home in the final seconds of regulation to force overtime and beat one of the Big East leaders in Marquette.

Each week awards go to the Ann Meyers Drysdale Women's national player, the organization's Tamika Catchings freshman player, and the USBWA's women's national team of the week. The pool of candidates is drawn from the weekly conference citations as well as at-large additions involving an expanded governing panel focusing on women's basketball, headed by vice-president Mel Greenberg.

Since the 1987-88 season, the USBWA has named a women's National Player of the Year. For the 2012-13 season, the national and weekly player award became named for Hall of Famer and former UCLA All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale while this is the first season the national and weekly freshman award is being given in the name of former Tennessee all-American Tamika Catchings.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for both individual awards, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA.

The winners of the 2022 Ann Meyers Drysdale National Player of the Year and Tamika Catchings National Freshman of the Year will be announced and presented at the USBWA's annual awards event on site at the 2022 NCAA Women's Final Four in Minneapolis.

The U.S. Basketball Writers Association was formed in 1956 at the urging of then-NCAA Executive Director Walter Byers. With some 900 members worldwide, it is one of the most influential organizations in college basketball. It has selected a women's All-America team since the 1996-97 season. For more information on the USBWA and its award programs, contact executive director Malcolm Moran at 814-574-1485.

2021-22 USBWA Women's Weekly Honors
Week ending Dec. 5: Teisha Hyman, Syracuse (National); Shayeann Day-Wilson, Duke (Freshman); Duke (Team)
Week ending Dec. 12: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Georgia Tech (Team)
Week ending Dec. 19: Haley Jones, Stanford (National); Laila Phelia, Michigan (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
Week ending Dec. 26: Destanni Henderson, South Carolina (National); Rori Harmon, Texas (Freshman); South Carolina (Team)
Week ending Jan. 2: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National); Kelbie Washington, Oklahoma (Freshman); Missouri (Team)
Week ending Jan. 9: Jaylyn Sherrod, Colorado (National); Alexis Markowski, Nebraska (Freshman); Colorado (Team)
Week ending Jan. 16: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National); Aaliyah Collins, Chicago State (Freshman); Oklahoma and Oregon (Team)
Week ending Jan. 23: Ayoka Lee, Kansas State (National); Alberte Rimdal, Florida (Freshman); Ole Miss (Team)
Week ending Jan. 30: Naz Hillmon, Michigan (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Drexel (Team)
Week ending Feb. 6: Jasmine Dickey, Delaware (National); Azzi Fudd, UConn (Freshman); Michigan (Team)
Week ending Feb. 13: Maddy Siegrist, Villanova (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Villanova (Team)
Week ending Feb. 20: Aliyah Boston, South Carolina (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); North Carolina (Team)
Week ending Feb. 27: Caitlin Clark, Iowa (National); Aneesah Morrow, DePaul (Freshman); Stanford (Team)
Week ending March 6: Dre'Una Edwards, Kentucky (National); Kaitlyn Chen, Princeton (Freshman); Kentucky (Team)

All-time USBWA Women's National Weekly Honors (Since 2011-12)