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Dixie St., Grand Canyon & HPU remain in West Region Poll; PacWest players dot national stats
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – For the fifth consecutive week,
the Pacific West Conference has a trio of teams in the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball West
Region Poll.
Grand Canyon (21-2/16-2) climbed three spots to third, while Dixie State (17-2/16-2 In-Region) jumped from sixth to fifth. Hawai‘i Pacific (15-6/12-6) dropped a pair of games to Dixie State and GCU, but remained in the Top 10 at #10.
The Division II women’s basketball committee in Indianapolis released the rankings on Wednesday, Feb. 23. The Top 10 teams are listed in each of the eight regions. The regional rankings will be released weekly on Wednesdays through March 2 leading up to the 64-team NCAA II selection show on March 6.
Both Dixie State and Grand Canyon remained ranked in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches’ Poll that was released on Feb. 22. Dixie State stayed at 12th in the nation, while Grand Canyon climbed up one spot to #9.
Grand Canyon senior guard Samantha Murphy (Phoenix, AZ/Xavier Prep) continues to lead all NCAA Division II women’s basketball players in scoring with her 25.2 points per game average – nearly four points per game better than second place Mystee Dale of West Alabama (21.3). She also leads the nation in free throw shooting at 91.5% (182 for 199), while her 2.9 three-pointers made per game rank her 14th in the nation.
Senior teammate Rosalyn Nelson (Phoenix, AZ/Deer
Valley) also jumped among the national leaders in
steals per game. Her 3.4 per-contest average stands eighth among
all Division II players.
Dixie State freshman Erica Carlson (Tucson, AZ/Canyon del Oro) also reigns atop an NCAA II statistical category – blocked shots per game. She ranks first in the nation in rejections with her 4.1 per-game average, while senior teammate Breann Hill (Harrisburg, PA/McDevitt) stands 10th in the nation in field goal percentage (58.6% - 123 of 210) and sixth in free throw shooting (88.6% - 101 for 114). Red Storm sophomore Johnna Brown (Las Vegas, NV/Centennial) is 19th in shooting at 55.5% (127 for 229) and 19th in rebounds per game (10.5).
Hawai‘i Hilo junior forward Hillary Hurley (Anderson, CA/Enterprise) ranks second in the country in shooting at 58.8%. She has made 104 of 177 field goal attempts. BYU-Hawaii junior guard Dara Tompkison (Honolulu, HI/Punahou) is sixth in assists per game (5.8), while senior guard Richelle Rieben (Coeur d’Alene, ID/Lake City) stands fourth in three-pointers made per contest (3.7).
