Murphy Named USBWA Division III National Player of the Week; Earns Third UAA Honor
Jan.4 - (ST. LOUIS, Mo.) – Carnegie Mellon University senior center Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) has garnered a national honor from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association as the Division III Player of the Week. Murphy led the Tartans to three wins since the break for finals and was also named University Athletic Association (UAA) Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week for the third time this season. The USBWA honor is the third of her career, as she earned the honor twice as a junior.
Murphy recorded three double-doubles and became the school's all-time leader in rebounds when she averaged 31.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per game while shooting 84.2% from the field in the three victories for the Tartans. Twice she shot 90% or better while averaging 10.7 made field goals, as the Tartans won all three games by more than 16 points and outscored their opponents by an average of 21. Murphy also made 30-of-36 attempts from the free throw line and now has 937 career rebounds and has scored 1,903 career points.
The Tartans continue to rise in the national rankings and are now 10th in the latest D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll and 13th in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coaches' Poll. The Tartans take their 11-0 record into UAA play this week when Case Western Reserve University (8-3) visits Pittsburgh at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 7.
Each Tuesday, the USBWA is selecting men's and women's Division III National Players of the Week. This is the third season the USBWA will recognize national players of the week from Division III.