WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HAS THREE PLAYERS EARN ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS

3/8/2010

OGDEN, Utah - The Sacramento State women's basketball team had three players earn all-Big Sky Conference honors, as announced by the conference on Monday, March 8.

Senior Charday Hunt (Portland, Ore.) became the first Hornet since Cindy Alldrin (2005-06) to earn first team all-Big Sky honors, while fellow senior Erika Edwards (Redmond, Wash.) was a second team honoree. Junior Emily Christensen (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) rounded out the Hornets who were recognized, earning honorable mention honors.

Hunt led the conference in scoring for the season, averaging 18.8 points per game, which ranks 21st in the nation. Hunt ranked second inside of Big Sky play with a 19.1 ppg average, and led the conference in free throws made (173) and attempted (220) during the regular season. The Portland native posted two of the four best scoring efforts in the conference this year, posting 32 points at San Francisco on Jan. 5 and at Northern Arizona on Feb. 25. She reached double figures in 27 of the team's 29 regular season contests, and scored 20 points or more on 13 occasions. She became the eighth player in school history to record over 1,000 career points, and currently has 1,222 over three seasons. Hunt was a second team selection last year.

Edwards is the Big Sky's leader in both three-pointers made (75) and three-point percentage (43.6 percent), which places her 14th in the nation. She ranks second in the conference in rebounding overall (8.1 rpg) and in Big Sky play (9.2 rpg). Edwards made a conference best seven three-pointers in the team's 100-83 victory over Montana on Feb. 20. The Redmond, Wash. native has five double-doubles and eight double-digit rebounding games. She earned all-Big Sky honors for the first time.

Christensen ranked fifth in the conference in scoring both overall (14.1 ppg) and in Big Sky play (15.6 ppg). The El Dorado Hills native also ranks ninth in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and steals (1.6 spg), while ranking in the top 15 in both three-pointers made per game (1.6) and blocked shots (0.7 bpg). She scored in double-figures in 14 of the team's 16 conference games, and posted five double-doubles. Christensen scored a career-high 26 points in the Hornets 93-89 come from behind victory at Northern Colorado on Feb. 27. She was also honored by the conference for the first time.

Eastern Washington's Julie Piper was named conference MVP, and was joining on the first team by Hunt, Idaho State's Oana Iacovita, Portland State's Claire Faucher, Montana State's Erica Perry and Northern Colorado's Whitley Cox. Joining Edwards on the second team were Montana's Lauren Beck, Northern Arizona's Amy Patton, Eastern Washington's Kyla Evans, and Montana State's Sarah Strand. Strand shared defensive player of the year honors with Eastern Washington's Brianne Ryan, while Northern Arizona's Vickey Toney won the top newcomer honor. Patton, along with making the second team, was named most outstanding freshman. Coach of the Year will be announced by the conference next week.

Sacramento State is the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Conference Tournament, which takes place March 11-13 in Cheney, Wash. on the campus of Eastern Washington University. The Hornets will play the sixth seeded Montana State Bobcats in the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 11 at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on www.hornetsports.com, beginning with the coach Jamie Craighead show at 3:15 p.m.