FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WINTHROP, Mass. - Eighty percent of the 2018 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball All-Conference First Team have been selected as part of this year's d3hoops.com All-Northeast Region Teams, it was announced on Monday.
Albertus Magnus College senior forward and GNAC Player of the Year Olivia Bolden led the way as a First Team selection, while Saint Joseph's College of Maine junior guard Kelsi McNamara, the 2017 GNAC Player of the Year, was a Second Team choice. Johnson & Wales University (RI) senior guard Raquel Pederzani earned a Third Team nod and Regis (Mass.) senior forward Brittany Stone received Fourth Team accolades.
Bolden earned the recognition after being tabbed as a First Team All-GNAC selection for the third straight year. She ended her senior campaign leading the league in rebounds per game (13.5 rpg) and finished second averaging a career-best 21.6 points a game. She posted a team-high 21 double-doubles while shooting 48.6 percent from the field. Bolden scored 20 or more points 19 times highlighted by three 30-point performances, including a career-high 35 at Rivier on Jan. 11. The senior forward also reached two major milestones as she became the all-time program leader in points with 2,017 and rebounds with 1,127.
McNamara earns the regional honor after averaging 18.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 42.3% (187-442) from the floor, 39.6% (90-227) from three-point range, and 81.8% (99-121) from the FT line during her junior season. She became just the seventh Saint Joseph's player to surpass the 1,000-point plateau during their junior season and completed her third collegiate campaign with 1,431 points, which is already the eighth-highest total in team history. She also broke the Monks' single-season and career records for three-pointers made (90/234) and attempted (227/608) this season.
Pederzani finished her career as the Wildcats' all-time leader in points, assists, steals, three-pointers and free throw percentage. She broke the school-record with 41 points against Albertus Magnus as part of her eight 20-point games. She ended the season sixth in the GNAC at 17.6 points per game, breaking the JWU single-season scoring average record. She rates 42nd in the NCAA, second in the league, with 116 assists while ranking 10th in the NCAA in minutes played. In addition to her academic and basketball achievements, Pederzani is a finalist for the Jostens Award, which takes into account three vital parts: basketball ability, academic prowess, and community service.
Stone garners the award after averaging 19.7 points and 12.8 rebounds per game for the Pride, which ranked third and second in the GNAC, respectively. It is Stone's first time being named All-Region by D3hoops.com. This past season, she became the program's all-time leader in scoring (1,833 points), field goal percentage (59.9%), and blocks (200).
It was also announced earlier this week that Stone will participate in the 2018 NEWBA Senior All-Star Classic, to be held on Saturday, March 24 at the Ainsworth Gymnasium on the campus of Smith College in Northampton, Mass. Stone will be one of three GNAC seniors to partipate in the contest, joining Suffolk University's Georgia Bourikas and the University of Saint Joseph's (Conn.) Kayla Guest.
Info Provided by Albertus Magnus, Saint Joseph's, JWU & Regis Athletics Communications.