University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Faulkner Named Finalist for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award
2/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 25, 2014
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. - The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today the 22 watch list finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award. Named after Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, the award recognizes the top point guard in women's NCAA Division I college basketball. The original watch list of candidates was narrowed down to the below list of 22 by a nationally based committee.
"We are honored to be recognizing these 22 athletes for their strengths, skills and commitment to the game of basketball and are excited to move forward in the selection process," Lieberman said. "All of these young women deserve to be on the list for this well-respected award and deserve recognition for their determination."
Southern Miss' senior point guard Jamierra Faulkner is among the 22 players. Faulkner currently leads the nation in assists while leading her team in scoring and steals. She recently topped the 800-assist mark, becoming the first player at Southern Miss and only the second player in Conference USA history to do so. She also became the all-time leader in steals with 342, breaking a 33-year old record and moved into third all-time in scoring at Southern Miss 1,902 points. Faulkner was named a finalist for the C Spire Gillom Trophy, an award given for the best women's basketball player in the state of Mississippi.
Faulkner has been very instrumental in leading Southern Miss to a 21-5 record overall. The 21 wins for the Lady Eagles are the most since the 2007-08 season. Faulkner is averaging a team-best 17.2 points, 8.4 assists and 3.1 steals per game.
A premier Selection Committee made up of top college basketball personnel including Hall of Famers, media members, head coaches and sports information directors was appointed by the Hall of Fame to review the candidates. The list will be narrowed down to a final five by March and the winner will be announced during Final Four weekend activities.
Previous winners of the Nancy Lieberman Award include last year's recipient Skylar Diggins (Notre Dame), Sue Bird (Connecticut), Renee Montgomery (Connecticut), Diana Taurasi (Connecticut), Lindsey Harding (Duke), Courtney Vandersloot (Gonzaga), Temeka Johnson (LSU), Kristi Toliver (Maryland), Ivory Latta (North Carolina) and Andrea Riley (Oklahoma State).
2014 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
Odyssey Sims, Baylor UniversityJerica Coley, Florida International UniversityYashira Delgado, Florida State UniversityDamika Martinez, Iona CollegeAshley Deary, Northwestern UniversityTiffany Bias, Oklahoma State UniversityFantasia Hilliard, Sacramento State UniversityAmber Orrange, Stanford UniversityNatasha Cloud, St. Joseph's UniversityJoanna Harden, Troy UniversityBrittany Boyd, University of California, BerkeleyBria Hartley, University of ConnecticutMoriah Jefferson, University of ConnecticutSamantha Logic, University of IowaValencia McFarland, University of MississippiLindsay Allen, University of Notre DameJamierra Faulkner, University of Southern MississippiHeather Butler, University of Tennessee at MartinJennifer Newsome, University of Tennessee at MartinAndola Dortch, University of ToledoJennifer Schlott, Utah State UniversityDequesha McClanahan, Winthrop University
