Women's Basketball 2/14/2022 3:00:00 PM

NJCU's Rodriguez, TCNJ's Branchizio Earn NJAC Women's Basketball Weekly Honors

PITMAN --- The New Jersey Athletic Conference has announced its women's basketball weekly honors for the week ending Feb. 13.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DAMARIS RODRIGUEZ • New Jersey City University
Sophomore • Guard • Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus

Rodriguez is named NJAC Player of the Week after leading NJCU to a pair of huge conference wins against Rowan and Montclair State, both in the top three of the current NJAC standings. She averaged a near-triple-double over the two games, including 19.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists. She currently ranks second nationally in all of Division III with 7.2 assists per game on the season. She began with a game-high 23 points to go with a game-best 11 assists and a team-high nine rebounds for a near-triple-double and sixth double-double of the season in the 73-59 win over Rowan at home on Wednesday. Then, in Saturday’s first win at Montclair State since 1970, Rodriguez recorded her third-consecutive double-double and seventh of the year with 15 points and 10 rebounds to go with five dimes and two steals over the full 40 minutes in the 59-55 win at the Red Hawks. In addition to ranking second nationally in assists, she leads the NJAC in that category by 2.3 over the next highest. She also leads the NJAC in scoring (20.8 ppg) and assist-turnover ratio (2.1), is second in steals (3.0 spg), and pulls down 6.2 boards per game.

ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
NINA BRANCHIZIO • The College of New Jersey
Freshman • Guard • Monroe, NJ/Monroe Township

Branchizio earns NJAC Rookie of the Week honors after putting together a big week for TCNJ, going 11-for-17 from three-point range in two games. She averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. She scored 15 points and a perfect 5-for-5 from three-point range in Wednesday’s win against Ramapo. She also had seven rebounds in that game. On Saturday, she scored a career-high 20 points at William Paterson while making six more three pointers. She also played all 40 minutes at WPU. Branchizio is currently chipping in 7.1 points per game for the Lions as well as 2.1 assists and 2.6 rebounds.