5/18/2006 - Three Explorers Honored by Big 5
Three La Salle University Women's Basketball players were recognized at Wednesday night's annual Big 5 awards reception. Senior Shaune McLaughlin received the Sportsmanship Award, while junior Crista Ricketts made the First Team and sophomore Carlene Hightower was named Most Improved.
McLaughlin took home the award for the second straight season. In the 2005-06 season, she scored 250 points, had 125 assists and grabbed 104 points, becoming only the third Explorer since 1990 to reach triple figures in each of those categories.
Ricketts repeated as a First Teamer after averaging 13.7 points a 6.5 rebounds a game this season, playing in 25 games. She started her season with a career-high tying 26 points against Tennessee-Martin and scored 20 or more points in five games, which also matched her double-double output for the season.
Hightower, who was also named the Atlantic 10's Most Improved Player, averaged just 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds a game last season. This year she increased those numbers to 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds a game, while reaching double figures in 15 total games – after only getting there once in 27 games last year. She scored a career-high 29 points at Charlotte, her first game over 20 points in her career, and the most points by an Explorer this season.
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