Joy Adams and Jackie Benitez Earn Second Straight Women's Basketball Honors
MAAC Sports
Player of the Week
Joy Adams, Iona
Sr., F, 5-11, Orlando, FL/Evans
Over the course of three games, senior Joy Adams averaged 16.7 points per game, and 14.7 rebounds per game. In addition, she chipped in seven total assists, five steals, and four blocks. On Monday, Jan. 4, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year led Iona to 65-51 win over the Saint Peter’s Peacocks. Adams came out scoring 14 points in the first quarter, and finished the game with 23 points; she shot nine of 17 from the floor, and five of seven from the free throw line. In the early week win, Adams also pulled down 10 rebounds, and recorded a block and three steals. On Thursday, Jan. 7, Adams and Iona made a statement, taking down the Marist Red Foxes 69-49 at the Hynes Athletics Center. The Orlando, FL native pulled down a season-high 24 rebounds, tying her second career-best effort which she had previously set against Marist in a prior contest. Adams recorded her then fourth straight double-double effort with 17 points on efficient seven of nine shooting, including a perfect two-of-two from beyond the arc. The win over Marist was the first time that Iona defeated the Red Foxes at the Hynes Athletics Center since Feb. 24, 2001. On Sunday, Jan. 10, Adams played just 24 minutes in Iona’s thrashing on Canisius, 79-56. During her time on the floor, Adams scored 10 points and garnered 10 rebounds for her fifth consecutive double-double effort. Adams shot 58% from the floor (20/34) in Iona’s three wins.
Rookie of the Week
Jackie Benitez, Siena
Fr., G, 5-10, Tobyhanna, PA/Pocono Mountain West
Benitez continued her torrid stretch off the bench, averaging 18.3 points, 5.0 steals and 4.7 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field and 47.6% (10-21) from three-point range in a perfect 3-0 week for the Saints. On Monday, she scored a game-high 17 points and added three steals and a career-high seven rebounds as the Saints beat Canisius to sweep their Western New York trip for the second straight season. On Friday she set new career-highs with 25 points and six threes to go along with five steals and a pair of blocks in the Saints’ rout of Rider. Benitez capped the week with 13 more points and a career-high seven steals as Siena defeated Manhattan. She ignited an 18-2 fourth quarter run against the Jaspers, scoring seven of her points during the spurt to rally Siena to improve to 6-0 in the MAAC for the first time in 14 years. Benitez has reached double figures in each of the Saints’ last four games and is averaging team-highs of 15.8 points, 3.7 steals and has made 15 threes in just 23.2 minutes of action off the bench in conference play.