University of Connecticut Athletics
Huskies Earn BIG EAST Regular Season Honors
3/4/2021 11:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STORRS, Conn. – UConn women's basketball guard Paige Bueckers became just the second player to earn BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Year to headline the Huskies' league end-of-season honors.
Junior Olivia Nelson-Ododa was tabbed the BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Freshman Aaliyah Edwards was named BIG EAST Sixth-Woman of the Year.
Geno Auriemma was named the league's Coach of the Year, earning conference coaching honors for the 17th time in his career.
Bueckers and junior Christyn Williams were unanimously named to the All-BIG EAST First Team. Nelson-Ododa was selected to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Bueckers and Edwards were both unanimously selected to the BIG EAST All-Freshman Team.
Bueckers joins Maya Moore as the only players to win both BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Year in the same season. This season, the Hopkins, Minn., native leads UConn with 19.8 points, 6.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game, as well as a 47.6 three-point field goal percentage. Bueckers was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week eight times and BIG EAST Player of the Week twice.
Nelson-Ododa leads UConn with 7.7 rebounds per game and paces the BIG EAST with 40 blocks and 1.8 blocks per game. She has seven double-doubles on the season and ranks 10th nationally with a 59.0 field goal percentage.
Edwards leads the BIG EAST with a 70.4 field goal percentage. She has scored in double digits in 12 games this season and had two double-doubles. Edwards is second on UConn with 5.4 rebounds per game.
Williams is second for the Huskies with 15.4 points per game. She's scored in double digits in 17 games this season.
UConn won its 27th regular season conference title in 2021, including its 20th as a member of the BIG EAST.
The top-ranked and top-seeded Huskies (21-1, 18-0) will face either No. 8 St. John's (7-14, 4-12) or No. 9 Xavier (5-9, 2-8) in the BIG EAST Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday at noon at Mohegan Sun Arena. The game will air on FS1.
BIG EAST Player of the Year
Paige Bueckers, UConn, Fr., G
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Paige Bueckers, UConn, Fr., G*
BIG EAST Coach of the Year
Geno Auriemma, UConn
BIG EAST Co-Defensive Players of the Year
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn, Jr., F
Selena Lott, Marquette, Sr., G
BIG EAST Most Improved Player
Lauren Park-Lane, Seton Hall, So., G
BIG EAST Sixth-Woman of the Year
Aaliyah Edwards, UConn, Fr., F
BIG EAST Sportsmanship Award
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette, R-Sr., F
BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year^
Lexi Held, DePaul, Jr., G
All-BIG EAST First Team
Paige Bueckers, UConn, Fr., G*
Christyn Williams, UConn, Jr., G*
Lexi Held, DePaul, Jr., G
Sonya Morris, DePaul, Jr., G*
Selena Lott, Marquette, Sr., G*
Leilani Correa, St. John's, So., G
Desiree Elmore, Seton Hall, Sr., G/F
Andra Espinoza-Hunter, Seton Hall, Grad., G
Lauren Park-Lane, Seton Hall, So., G
Madison Siegrist, Villanova, So., F*
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Olivia Nelson-Ododa, UConn, Jr., F
Temi Carda, Creighton, Sr., G
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette, R-Sr., F
Mary Baskerville, Providence, Jr., F
Brianna Herlihy, Villanova, Sr., F
All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
Dee Bekelja, DePaul, Sr., G
Camryn Taylor, Marquette, So., F
BIG EAST All-Freshman Team
Paige Bueckers, UConn, Fr., G*
Aaliyah Edwards, UConn, Fr., F*
Emma Ronsiek, Creighton, Fr., F
Darrione Rogers, DePaul, Fr., G
Kelsey Ransom, Georgetown, Fr., G
*unanimous selection
