VCU Picked to Win Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball; 23 Student-Athletes Earn Preseason Honors

11/9/2020 11:00:00 AM

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — VCU has been predicted as Atlantic 10 Conference women’s basketball champions in the league’s 2020-21 preseason poll. The conference announced the poll and preseason all-conference awards Thursday in a virtual media day, a first for the league. The awards and poll were chosen by a panel of the league’s head coaches.
 
The Rams finished second in the 2019-20 Atlantic 10 regular season, and have finished as the runner-up in the last two A-10 Championships. VCU returns three starters and had 10 first-place votes in the poll with 185 points. Led by Preseason All-Conference selections Tera Reed and Taya Robinson, the Rams finished 20-12 overall last year, 13-3 in the A-10.
 
Defending champion Dayton was picked second in the 2019-20 preseason poll. The Flyers totaled 176 points, including two first-place votes. UD returns Preseason All-Conference selections Erin Whelan, Araion Bradshaw and Kyla Whitehead, and will be led by defending A-10 Coach of the Year Shauna Green. The Flyers finished at 25-8 last year, won a regular season title with an Atlantic 10 record of 15-1, and won the A-10 Championship to secure an NCAA bid before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season.
 
Saint Louis was picked third in the poll with 171 points and one first-place vote. A trio of Billikens earned preseason honors, with Ciaja Harbison and Rachel Kent earning Preseason All-Conference honors and Harbison and Brooke Flowers securing spots on the Preseason All-Defensive team. Saint Louis was 19-13 overall and 9-7 in conference play last year to tie for fourth.
 
Davidson, Duquesne and Fordham all tied for fourth in the Preseason Poll with 140 points. The Wildcats were 16-15 overall and 8-8 in league play last year. Three Davidson players, Suzi-Rose Deegan, Katie Turner and Sarah Donovan, were selected for preseason all-conference. Duquesne, which also garnered a first-place vote in the poll, place both Libby Bazelak and Lala Sole on Preseason All-Conference teams. The Dukes finished the 2019-20 season at 9-7 in league play and 20-9 overall. Fordham was 21-11 last year and 11-5 in the A-10. Kendell Heremaia and Anna DeWolfe each received preseason honors for Fordham.
 
Led by Preseason All-Conference First Team Sam Breen, Massachusetts tallied 118 poll points to rank seventh. UMass tied for fourth in 2019-20 with a 9-7 league record and a 20-11 overall mark. Richmond was selected eighth in the preseason poll with 81 points, and George Washington, which returns Preseason All-Conference Third Team selection Neila Luma, was ninth in the poll with 78 points.
 
Led by Preseason All-Conference Second Teamer Claire Jacobs, La Salle was picked 10th (70 points). Rhode Island was 11th (65 points), and St. Bonaventure, led by Preseason All-Conference Second Team choice Asianae Johnson, was picked 12th (42 points).  Saint Joseph’s and George Mason rounded out the poll.
 
The 2020-21 women’s basketball season tips off on Wednesday, Nov. 25. The season will culminate with the Atlantic 10 Women’s Basketball Championship, which will be played on campus at VCU’s Siegel Center March 3-7, 2021.

PRESEASON POLL
1. VCU (10) 185
2. Dayton (2) 176
3. Saint Louis (1) 171
4. Davidson 140
Duquesne (1) 140
Fordham 140
7. Massachusetts 118
8. Richmond 81
9. George Washington 78
10. La Salle 70
11. Rhode Island 65
12. St. Bonaventure 42
13. Saint Joseph’s 41
14. George Mason 23
Number in parenthesis indicates number of first-place votes
 

PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM                                                                                                       
Player School Yr. Pos. Hgt. PPG RPG APG
Suzi-Rose Deegan Davidson So. G 5-10 15.9 7.7 2.2
Erin Whalen Dayton R-Sr. G/F 6-1 12.2 4.8 1.4
Libby Bazelak Duquesne Sr. G 5-9 13.2 6.5 3.9
Sam Breen Massachusetts Sr. F 6-1 16.9 9.2 1.4
Ciaja Harbison Saint Louis Jr. G 5-6 15.4 2.3 4.1
Tera Reed VCU Sr. G 6-0 15.2 3.8 1.9


PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM                                                                                                 
Player School Yr. Pos. Hgt. PPG RPG APG
Katie Turner Davidson Sr. G 5-7 10.4 3.4 4.1
Laia Sole Duquesne Gr. C 6-2 11.8 4.8 1.7
Kendell Heremaia Fordham Sr. G 5-9 11.8 7.8 2.7
Claire Jacobs La Salle So. G 6-0 13.7 2.8 1.3
Asianae Johnson St. Bonaventure Jr. G 5-8 12.7 5.5 1.7
Taya Robinson VCU Sr. G 5-0 11.5 4.3 2.1


PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM                                                                                                      
Player School Yr. Pos. Hgt. PPG RPG APG
Sarah Donovan Davidson Sr. G/F 6-0 11.4 8.6 1.3
Araion Bradshaw Dayton R-Sr. G 5-6 5.7 4.7 2.8
Kyla Whitehead Dayton Jr. F 6-2 7.2 6.2 1.0
Anna DeWolfe Fordham So. G 5-8 12.6 3.7 2.3
Neila Luma George Washington R-Jr. F 6-0 4.7 4.2 0.7
Rachel Kent Saint Louis So. G/F 5-11 11.4 4.2 1.7

                                                                                                                         
PRESEASON ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM                                                                                                                          
Player School Yr. Pos. Hgt. PPG SPG BPG
Araion Bradshaw Dayton R-Sr. G 5-6 5.7 1.4 0.1
Libby Bazelak Duquesne Sr. G 5-9 13.2 1.3 0.2
Brooke Flowers Saint Louis Jr. F/C 6-5 4.4 0.2 2.1
Ciaja Harbison Saint Louis Jr. G 5-6 15.4 1.5 0.1
Taya Robinson VCU Sr. G 5-0 11.5 1.1 0.6