Women's Hoops Tabbed Second in Preseason Poll; Washington on All-NEC Preseason Team for Second Year
10/20/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
BROOKLYN, N.Y. (October 21, 2014)—The Sacred Heart women's basketball team received four first place votes to be slated second in the 2014-15 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was announced Tuesday as part the 2014 NEC Social Media Day at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. For the second consecutive year, senior Gabrielle Washington (Mesa, Ariz.) was selected to the All-NEC Preseason Team.
The Pioneers finished sixth in the league last year with a 9-9 conference record forcing a matchup with No. 3 Saint Francis U in the NEC quarterfinal. After a double-overtime battle, which broke the NCAA Division record for combined total scoring, the Red Flash moved onto the semifinals with the 132-124 win. In that game, Washington broke the program's 31-year-old single-game scoring record lighting up the scoreboard with 47 points.
Washington added numerous accomplishments to her resume during her junior campaign. After a season that saw her become the first player in Northeast Conference history to record back-to-back 30-plus point performances and score her thousandth career-point, she was named to the All-NEC Preseason Team, All-NEC First Team and All-Metropolitan Second Team. The Mesa, Ariz. native posted 12 20-plus point performances, including three 30-plus point games, and four double-doubles throughout the season. She led the team and was ranked fourth in the league in scoring average with 18.6 points per game. For the second year in a row, her free throw percentage ranked in the top three in the league, this year, ranking third shooting .860 from the line.
The Pioneers open the season on November 16 on the road at Iona, and return home to the William H. Pitt Center two days later to face the University of Bridgeport at 7:00 p.m.
