Anderson, O’Neill & Young Earn All-CCC Honors
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (February 20, 2017) – Three members of the Western New England University women's basketball team were recognized when the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) announced its major award winners and All-Conference teams today.
Senior forward Emily Anderson (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and junior guard Dorothy O'Neill (Staten Island, N.Y.) were named to the All-CCC first team, while senior forward Paige Young (Berlin, Conn.) earned a spot on the third team.
Anderson collects All-Conference first team honors for the first time in her career after garnering second team accolades as a junior last season. The Rocky Hill, Conn. led the CCC in scoring (16.3 PPG) and free throw shooting (83.8%) during the regular season, while also averaging 6.5 rebounds (10th in CCC) and 1.12 assists per game. Anderson, who ranks fourth in program history with 122 made three-point field goals, connected at a 37.2% clip from beyond the arc this season, good for third in the CCC
Anderson has started all 25 games for the Golden Bears, posting double-figure scoring efforts in all but one contest, including a career-high 33-point performance on 10-of-15 shooting (7-of-9 from three-point range) in a 97-93 overtime victory at Westfield State on December 8. She has topped the 15-point mark 13 times, with five 20+ point performances. With her 13-point performance in Saturday's regular season finale at Endicott, Anderson became Western New England's 14th 1000-point scorer in program history. She is a two-time CCC Player of the Week (1/30, 12/12) this winter, earning a spot on the New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) Weekly Honor Roll on both occasions as well.
O'Neill joins Anderson on the All-CCC first team after collecting second team honors last season and third team recognition as a freshman in 2014-15. The Staten Island, N.Y. native started 24 of 25 games for the Golden Bears, averaging 10.5 points (13th in CCC), 3.3 assists (3rd) and 3.0 rebounds per game. O'Neill shot a career-best 45.5% from three-point range, good for second in the CCC.
O'Neill posted double-figure scoring efforts in 16 of 25 games, including nine of the last 11 to close out the regular season. She scored a season-high 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, in Western New England's 82-54 win over Wentworth on February 4. O'Neill recorded 4+ assists on 12 occasions, and her 1.3 assist to turnover ratio ranked fourth in the CCC.
Young rounds out Western New England's three All-Conference performers with her selection to the All-CCC third team. After being limited with an injury last season, Young started all 25 games for the Golden Bears in 2016-17, averaging 9.6 points and a CCC-leading 8.9 rebounds to go with 2.0 steals and 2.0 assists per game.
Young posted seven double-double performances this season, including a 19-point, 19-rebound effort in Western New England's win at Westfield State on December 8 that established career-highs in both categories. She turned in 11 double-figure scoring performances, while grabbing 10+ rebounds on nine occasions. Young was recognized as the CCC Player of the Week for the first time in her career on November 21.
Western New England (17-8), which earned the No. 3 seed in this week's CCC Tournament, is set to host sixth-seeded Curry in the quarterfinal round tomorrow night at 7 p.m.
