Rider's Henderson and Loyola's Walker Earn MAAC Women's Basketball Weekly Honors

11/12/2007 5:00:00 AM

MAAC Sports

MAAC Player of the Week

JANELE HENDERSON, RIDER
Senior, Guard, 5-9, Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin

Henderson led the Broncs to a 1-1 week. Against Monmouth on 11/9, Henderson dropped a career-high 25 points on the Hawks as Rider won its opening game for only the third time in 17 seasons. At UMBC on 11/11, Henderson again led the Broncs with 19 points including eight in a row midway through the first half as Rider rallied from a 14 point deficit. Henderson had 11 of Rider’s 22 points in the opening period and the Broncs trailed by only four at intermission. She played all 40 minutes with UMBC hitting the winning three-pointer with 53 seconds left as Rider fell 58-53. For the week, Henderson averaged 22 points per game, playing 77 of a possible 80 minutes in the two games.

MAAC Rookie of the Week

CANDICE WALKER, LOYOLA
Freshman, Guard, 5-5, Baltimore, Md./Towson Catholic

Walker started the first two games of her collegiate career at point guard for the Greyhounds and was the sparkplug that led Loyola to season-opening wins over Drexel and Villanova. Walker averaged 9.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and only 1.0 turnover per game. She had a 3:1 assist:turnover ratio and played a team-high average of 33.0 minutes per game. On Friday against Drexel, Walker spurred a second-half comeback that saw the Greyhounds turn a 10-point halftime deficit to a 10-point win. She finished the game with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds and did not commit a turnover in 31 minutes during her collegiate debut. In the Villanova game, she played a game-high 35 minutes and did not leave the floor in the second half. She scored five points and did not commit a turnover after the break, as Loyola rallied from a one-time eight-point Wildcats lead.