Monday was another big day in the freshman season as National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I women’s basketball players for Scranton Prep graduates Rachael Rose and Cecelia Collins.
Rose earned a precedent-setting award at the University of South Carolina Upstate during the day, then Collins went out at night and scored in double figures for the fifth time in Bucknell’s six-game winning streak.
For the second time in three weeks, the Big South Conference named Rose its Freshman of the Week, making her the first USC Upstate player to win two weekly awards since the Spartans joined the Big South in 2018.
Collins scored 14 points in an impressive Bucknell victory as the Bison went to Olean, N.Y. and built a 19-point lead through three quarters of a 72-60 victory over St. Bonaventure.
Rose scored 32 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, shot 57.9 percent (11-for-19) from the floor and made half her 3-point attempts (3-for-6) in a pair of wins during the week that ended Sunday.
The 5-foot-7 guard shared the team scoring lead in both games, scoring 17 in a 58-51, overtime victory over Western Carolina and 15 in a 57-46 triumph over North Carolina-Greensboro. She also had seven rebounds and five assists in the most recent win.
Rose played 43 of 45 minutes in the overtime game and never left the floor in the victory over UNC-Greensboro.
Playing for the team coached by Abington Heights graduate Becky Burke, Rose scored more than half her team’s third-quarter points in each game, scoring nine against Western Carolina and 12 against UNC-Greensboro.
Rose had two steals in each game, giving her at least two in six of seven games for the Spartans (5-2).
On the season, Rose is averaging 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.7 steals. She is shooting 50.8 percent from the floor, 35.7 percent from 3-point range and 80.0 percent from the line.
Rose started as the 2-guard in the first two games and as the point guard since. After dishing out just 7 assists in the first 4 games, Rose has 15 in the last 3.
USC Upstate is 5-2.
Both Rose and Collins also played on the NEPA Elite Clark 17U team.
Collins made sure the Bison got off to a good start while improving to 7-2, including 5-2 away from home.
The 6-foot guard made sure Bucknell never trailed, scoring the game’s first basket on a drive, then breaking the last tie with a 3-pointer for a 5-2 lead just 1:46 into the game.
Bucknell stretched that lead to 7-2 and 12-4 and was in control most of the way from there. The lead eventually got to 56-37 heading into the fourth quarter.
Collins finished 5-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-5 on 3-pointers and 2-for-2 from the line while playing 35 minutes, tied for the most on the team. She grabbed five rebounds, four on the defensive end, and also had a steal.
Bucknell, coached by Trevor Woodruff, who coached at the University of Scranton, Misericordia University, Lackawanna College and Delaware Valley High School, is off until hosting George Mason Dec. 18.