A Record-Breaking Week Earns Gray NEWBA Player Of The Week

Melissa Gray
Westfield State
Junior • Forward • Peabody, Mass.

Huge week for Gray as the Owls went 3-0 in MASCAC play. She opened the week with a 14-point, 10-rebound double double, then set a school record with 10 three's (an NCAA D-III season best) as she scored 37 points with five steals and five assists and seven rebounds against Fitchburg, and capped the week with a team-high 29 points in a key road win at Bridgewater State. She scored her 1000th career point in the win over Fitchburg, and finished the week shooting 51 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three point range. Gray leads the country in steals per game and ranks second in 3-pointers made per game.

Bailey Donovan
Husson University
Freshman • Center • Island Falls, Maine

Donovan hit a new season-high on Wednesday afternoon, netting 23 points in the 77-43 victory over SUNY Delhi, while helping Husson sustain an undefeated (6-0) record on their home court. Following a competitive 57-48 matchup against conference rival Maine Maritime on Friday evening, the rookie finished off the 2-0 week averaging 19.0 points, 6.0 boards, 2.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game. She hit an impressive 81.0% (17-21) of her shots from the field while scoring 38 points in just 43 minutes on the hardwood.

• Erica DeCandido, Tufts University (Sr. | Guard | North Wales, Pa.) - DeCandido led the Jumbos with 17.5 points per game and added 8.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest as Tufts won twice on the road at Hamilton and at Amherst. She had 11 points, 7 rebounds and three assists in the second half at Hamilton as Tufts won late. At Amherst, she made a layup with 1:04 remaining in overtime and it held to give the Jumbos a 48-46 win. She had four of Tufts' eight points in the overtime period.
• Mary Kate O'Day, Framingham State (Sr. | Guard | Berlin, Mass.) - Averaged 23.5 points, nine boards 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and a block shooting 67% from long range in a 2-0 week for the Rams. Scored 26 points with seven boards, two assists and two steals including the game winning layup in the final seconds of the Rams 75-73 win over Worcester State to stay unbeaten in league play. She added an impressive 21 points on 5-of-6 from long range with 11 boards, three assists, three steal and a block in just 17 minutes of play against MCLA.
• Stevie Orton, Eastern Nazerene (So. | Guard | Gilford, N.H.) - Stevie Orton posted a pair of 20-point performances in a 2-0 week for Eastern Nazarene. Orton scored 24 points and grabbed five rebounds to lead the Lions to a 74-60 win at New England College. Orton capped off the week with a 23-point, nine-rebound effort as Eastern Nazarene topped Mitchell 77-70 for its ninth-straight victory to improve to 11-1 overall and 5-0 in NECC play. Orton shot 56.3% from the floor while connecting on 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and converting 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.
• Destiny Fitzgerald, Bridgewater State (Jr. | Center | Medford, Mass.) - Averaged 32 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots while shooting 61% (28-46) from the floor in a 1-1 week for the Bears. Posted a double-double with 21 points and 16 rebounds (seven offensive) to go along with four blocks in a 79-60 MASCAC win on the road over Salem State. Poured in a school-record 43 points and pulled down a career-best 17 rebounds (10 offensive) in a 111-108 conference setback to Westfield State.
• Rene Hudson, New England College (Sr. | Guard | Gallatin, Tenn.) - Hudson averaged 23.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in a 2-1 week. On January 16, Hudson exploded for 38 points on 63.6% shooting from the field to lead a comeback effort in a 81-70 win over Coast Guard. 
• Michelle Rowe, Southern Maine (So. | Guard | Gorham, Maine) - Rowe established a career-high in points in a game and rebounds in a game during the week. Recording the first double-double of her career, Rowe had 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 69-52 win at Plymouth State University. She shot and outstanding 69.2 percent from the field in the game and was 3-for-4 from three-point range. In a closely fought loss to Eastern Connecticut, Rowe matched her career high with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting (64.3 percent) and shared team-high rebounding honors with nine. For the week, the 5-7 guard averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, and shot a remarkable 18-for-27 (66.6 percent) from the field and 90 percent (4-for-5) from three.

Rowe

Hudson