Three New Paltz Players Lauded on 2011-12 All-SUNYAC Women's Basketball Teams
2011-12 SUNYAC Women's Basketball All-Conference Teams
FREDONIA, N.Y. – Three State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball student-athletes were accorded 2011-12 All-State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Women's Basketball honors for their performance this past season, as announced Monday by the conference office. Senior forward Shanay Bradley (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers) was picked to the Second Team, while junior forward Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and junior guard Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) were chosen to the Third Team.
Bradley made a profound impact on the team this past season, serving as a threat down low both offensively and defensively. She led the conference in blocked shots per game (1.3, 34 total) and rebounding (8.9 boards per game, 241 total), and she also ranked third on the team in scoring with 9.5 points per game (250 total). Her 34 blocks this year ranked as the eighth-highest single-season total in program history, and she wound up ranked seventh all-time in career rebounds (493) and fourth all-time in career blocks (67). In addition, she averaged 1.1 steals per game and 0.6 assists per game. Bradley, a sociology major, is the daughter of Lavinia Bradley, and she is a 2008 graduate of New Explorers High School.
McCullough earned her second Third-Team All-SUNYAC nod in as many years, as she helped Bradley patrol the low block. A talented post player who also has the ability to score from anywhere on the floor, she led the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game (299 total), shooting at a 45.0 percent clip from the field and a 74.0 percent clip from the foul line. She complemented her offensive production with strong post defense, as she ranked third in the conference and second on the team with 1.2 blocks per game (28 total). McCullough finished the season as the program's all-time blocks leader, as she took over the top spot on the career chart with 105. In addition, she averaged 3.4 rebounds per game, 1.1 steals per game and 0.9 assists per game. McCullough, an elementary education major, is the daughter of Jeff and Marie McCullough, and she is a 2009 graduate of Bethlehem Central High School.
Fisher also picked up her second consecutive All-SUNYAC recognition, as she was lauded on the Second Team in 2010-11. She helped key a defense that currently ranks 20th in NCAA Division III in steals per game (13.2), and she finished the season tied for the team-lead in steals with 2.3 (61 total). Furthermore, she ranked second in the league and first on the team in field-goal percentage (.518), which complemented her solid scoring average of 10.1 points per game. Fisher also averaged 4.7 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game. She cracked the program's career steals chart, as she now ranks 10th with 151 on her career. Fisher, a sociology major, is the daughter of Sheila Fisher, and she is a 2009 graduate of North Babylon High School.
Brittany Cohen of SUNY Cortland was selected as the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Susan Roarke of Buffalo State was named the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year after guiding the Bengals to the top seed in the 2012 SUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. Shannon McGinnis of SUNY Geneseo was picked as the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Rookie of the Year.
New Paltz qualified for the SUNYAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament for the seventh straight year this season, advancing to the semifinals before losing, 66-63, in overtime to SUNY Oneonta. The Hawks achieved an overall record of 18-9 and went 15-3 in league play.
