Northwestern University Athletics
Ashley Deary Named Nancy Lieberman Award Finalist
2/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2014
SPRNGFIELD, Mass. – Northwestern freshman point guard Ashley Deary is one of 22 finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced today. Named after Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, the award recognizes the top point guard in NCAA Division I college basketball.
“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.”
Deary is one of two Big Ten point guards on the list along with Iowa's Samantha Logic and one of two freshman as Notre Dame's first-year guard Lindsay Allen is also one of the 22 finalists. Deary has started all 27 games in her first season with the Wildcats and ranks second in the Big Ten with 6.6 assists per game. That mark also ranks in the top 10 in NCAA Division I Women's Basketball. Additionally, Deary is third in the Big Ten with 2.1 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).
Deary and the Wildcats will wrap up the 2013-14 regular season this week with the home finale Thursday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. vs. Michigan State and then play their final tune-up before the 2014 Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, March 2 at Wisconsin.
The 22 finalists for the 2014 Nancy Lieberman Award can be found below.
2014 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
Odyssey Sims - Baylor University
Jerica Coley - Florida International University
Yashira Delgado - Florida State University
Damika Martinez - Iona College
Ashley Deary - Northwestern University
Tiffany Bias - Oklahoma State University
Fantasia Hilliard - Sacramento State University
Amber Orrange - Stanford University
Natasha Cloud - St. Joseph's University
Joanna Harden - Troy University
Brittany Boyd - University of California, Berkeley
Bria Hartley - University of Connecticut
Moria Jefferson - University of Connecticut
Samanta Logic - University of Iowa
Valencia McFarland - University of Mississippi
Lindsay Allen - University of Notre Dame
Jamierra Faulkner - University of Southern Mississippi
Heather Butler - University of Tennessee at Martin
Jennifer Newsome - University of Tennessee at Martin
AndolaDortch - University of Toledo
Jennifer Schlott - Utah State University
Dequesha McClanahan - Winthrop University
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