Framingham State's O'Connor and Westfield State's Gray Named to D3hoops.com All-Region Team
Flannery O'Connor of Framingham State and Melissa Gray of Westfield State were honored by D3hoops.com along with New England Women's Basketball Association as All-Region honorees.
Flannery O'Connor of Framingham State and Melissa Gray of Westfield State were honored by D3hoops.com and the New England Women's Basketball Association as All-Region honorees.
O'Connor, who was the MASCAC Player of the Year and NEWBA All-Region, earned MASCAC Player of the Week honors five times as she led the Rams in scoring and ranked second in the MASCAC averaging 18.9 point per game. O'Connor ranked second in the league in rebounding (11.2 rpg) and first in blocked shots (44). The sophomore was chosen as the NEWBA and USBWA Div. III National Player of the Week in January and to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week in mid-February.
The Rams ended the 2021-22 season with a 22-4 record, winning the MASCAC Regular Season and Tournament Championships and making their second straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Gray had a remarkable season and career for the Owls, as she became the all-time leading scorer in school history early in the season in a victory against SUNY Poly. She finished her career with a total of 1,757 points, which is 231 points higher than the previously set record of 1,526 points held by Amanda (Braden) Theriault (1994-98). Along with the career scoring record, Gray also passed current head coach Andrea Bertini on the all-time made three-pointers list, drilling 319 triples. She was also a major contributor on the defensive side of the floor as well, collecting 320 steals, which ranks second in school history. Over her last three seasons, Gray has recorded at least one steal in 76 of her final 77 contests. On the season, Gray led the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference in scoring (20.0), three-point percentage (38.3%) and steals (3.6), while also ranking eighth in the conference in rebounds per game (7.3). She was named the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year along with her second All-Conference First-Team nomination.
Westfield State finished the season with a 15-12 overall record. The Owls were 8-4 in MASCAC conference play, and finished third in the regular season standings before falling in the conference tournament semifinals.
Players were nominated for these awards by the Sports Information Directors at the various schools, and schools and conferences were each contacted multiple times as the season wound down to remind them to make their players eligible. There were 746 players nominated nationwide. The ballot was then made available to SIDs, who voted for a predetermined number of players in their region.
It's the 21st season D3hoops.com has named All-Region teams.
Division III split up basketball into 10 regions this season. A region with 40 teams or more has three All-Region teams honored, while a region with fewer than 40 teams has a first and second team. This reorganization results in approximately 10 additional players being recognized when compared to previous full seasons.
Players from these lists are eligible for the D3hoops.com All-America teams, which will be released Saturday, March 19.
Portions of this release courtesy of Framingham State, Westfield State and D3hoops.com Sports Information