Ducey Delivers Top Performance of the Week
URBANA, Ohio (January 29, 2010) - Women's basketball player Haley Ducey (Ottawa, Ohio/Ottawa-Glandorf HS) had a week to remember, even if it's one Ducey and her teammates would like to forget. The sophomore guard carried the Blue Knights to victory on Monday night, scoring a career-high 20 points in a 3-point win over Ohio Valley University. She followed that performance with her second career double-double in a gut-wrenching 1-point loss at Ohio Dominican University on Wednesday night. Today, Ducey was dubbed the Family Dentistry Student-Athlete of the Week.
Against Ohio Valley, Ducey was on fire in the first half. She knocked down 4 consecutive 3-pointers in a span of 3 minutes. Thanks to her scoring outburst, the Blue Knights built a 20-point first half lead. Urbana's lead crumbled in the second half, but down the stretch, Ducey stepped up big time for her teammates. She hit all 4 of her free throws in the game's final 23 seconds to keep the hot Scots at bay in a 72-69 win. Ducey finished with her first career 20-point game on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-for-4 from downtown and 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. She also led the team with 4 assists and 3 steals.
On Wednesday night, Urbana experienced almost identical circumstances. Again, the Blue Knights built a 20-point first half lead, and again, they saw it slowly wilt away in the second half. For the second time in 3 days, Ducey knocked down 2 clutch free throws with less than 10 seconds to play to give her team a 3-point lead. Unfortunately for Urbana, a Panther freshman banked in a miracle 35-footer with 1 tick left on the clock while drawing a foul for an impossible game-winning 4-point play. Despite the loss, Ducey dropped her second career double-double, finishing with team-highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Also considered for this week's top honors were swimmers Kristen Henderson, Rachel Kelly and Samantha Cowgill, and men's basketball players Clint Nicholson, Rob Wilson, T.R. Ellis and Harvey Stewart.