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UB Women's Basketball Trio Earns Academic All-MAC Recognition
4/20/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BUFFALO, NY – Three University at Buffalo, State University of New York women's basketball players have been named to the 2015 Academic All-Mid-American Conference team announced Monday. Senior Kristen Sharkey, junior Mackenzie Loesing and sophomore Alexus Malone have all earned the accolade. The Bulls were one of just four teams with three or more named to the squad.
Sharkey, who is working on a master's degree in management, was named to the All-MAC Tournament team after earning conference second-team recognition. She became the 22nd player in program history to score 1,000 points and ended her career with six top-10 rankings on UB's all-time career lists. She sits fourth with a free throw percentage of 77.2, fifth with 305 free throws and 120 games played, eighth with 1,264 points, 10th with 455 field goals and 759 rebounds. Sharkey, who led the MAC with 3.6 offensive rebounds per game, tallied three top-10 single-season marks in 2014-15. She ranks fifth with 1,075 minutes played, seventh with 111 free throws made and 10th with 454 points scored. The Preseason All-MAC East Team and All-Big 4 Second-Team selection, Sharkey was a two-time MAC East Player of the Week and earned Big 4 and UB Athlete of the Week nods on four occasions. Sharkey was the only Bull to start all 32 games. She led the team with 14.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, while adding a Bull-best eight double-doubles. She earned Miami Thanksgiving All-Tournament Team nods and was named MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week on March 18.
Loesing, a biomedical sciences major, was named MAC Sixth Player of the Year and tallied All-MAC Third-Team recognition after becoming just the fifth junior in program history to score 1,000 career points. She completed her junior season with four top-10 rankings on UB's all-time career lists sitting seventh with 123 three-point field goals, eighth with 276 free throws and a scoring average of 13.7 and ninth with 1,243 points. A Preseason All-MAC East and All-Big 4 First-Team pick, Loesing was named UB Female Athlete of the Week on Jan. 12 and Big 4 Player of the Week on March 2. She played in 30 of the Bulls' 32 games and ranked second on the team with 13.3 points per game. Loesing led UB in scoring 10 times and scored in double figures 22 times, highlighted by four 20-point games. She recorded season-best performances of 32 points, seven rebounds, 10 field goals, five three pointers, 10 free throws, four assists, four steals and one block. Loesing tallied MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week on Jan. 14.
Malone, who is majoring in the social sciences, was a two-time Big 4 Player of the Week as a sophomore. She had season-best performances of 19 points, 17 rebounds, seven field goals, three three pointers, five free throws, four assists, six steals and three blocks. Malone started 29 of the 32 games in which she played, averaging 10.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per outing. She added a team-best 1.7 steals per game and led the Bulls in rebounding on 15 occasions. Malone, who scored in double figures 18 times, recorded seven double-doubles in 2014-15.
UB took part in the WNIT, just the second postseason appearance for the Bulls, who made the MAC Tournament semifinals for the second time in school history. The Bulls finished the year with a 19-13 record, reaching 19 victories for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Third-year head coach Felisha Legette-Jack led the Bulls to back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1999-00 and 2000-01.
The Academic All-MAC honor is for student-athletes who have excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, student-athletes must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport.
