Laney Named MBWA Player of the Week
Dec 09 | Women's Basketball
NEW YORK - Rutgers' Betnijah Laney (Clayton, Del.) was named the Met Basketball Writers Association's Women's Basketball Player of the Week. The award, for games played Dec. 1-7, is unique in that it encompasses players from 73 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
Laney, a 6-foot senior forward from Clayton, Del., averaged 18.0 points, 17.5 rebounds and shot 51.7% from the field in a pair of top 25 contests as the Scarlet Knights (7-1) last week defeated then No. 25 host Arkansas 64-52 and lost to then No. 6 visiting North Carolina 96-93 in double overtime. So far she has collected eight straight double-doubles to open the season.
Laney poured in 24 points and hauled in 24 rebounds in playing all 50 minutes against North Carolina as she collected her 1,000th career point and cracked the top 15 on RU's all-time rebounding list. Her 24 rebounds represent a RAC record for men or women, and surpassed the previous mark of 21 held by women's basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA All-Star Sue Wicks set back in 1987 against Penn State. Laney finished the game two rebounds shy of tying the RU women's basketball single-game record of 26 set in 1977.
At Arkansas, Laney posted 12 points and 11 boards, and shot 50% from the floor to go along with three assists, two steals and a block.
On the season, she is averaging 16.0 points and 14.8 rebounds.
Earlier this week, Laney was named the Big Ten Player of the Week and was honored as the B1G Player of the Week by College Sports Madness. The senior Scarlet Knight was also nominated for espnW's National Player of the Week.
The Rutgers women's basketball team, ranked at No. 17 in this week's Associated Press Poll and No. 19 in the ESPN/USA Today Poll, travel to Temple on Wednesday, Dec. 10 for a 6 p.m. tip. The Scarlet Knights also host No. 11/13 Tennessee on Sunday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. in front of the ESPN2 cameras.
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-RU-
