Three Canisius College women's
basketball players were named to the 2012-13 Preseason All-Big Four Basketball
Teams, which were announced today at the Big Four Basketball Media Day, held at
Pearl Street Grill and Brewery in downtown Buffalo. Junior Jamie Ruttle earned First-Team honors while senior Ashley Durham and sophomore Kayla Hoohuli earned Second-Team
honors.
Ruttle earned All-MAAC Third-Team honors following the
2011-12 season, the first Canisius sophomore to earn All-MAAC honors since
2004-05. The 2011 MAAC Rookie of the Year, Ruttle led the team in scoring
(11.7) and rebounding (5.3) last season. The 6-foot-3 forward from Burlington,
Ontario closed the year strong by averaging 15.0 points per game in the month
of February. The only Golden Griffin to start each game last season, Ruttle
shot 54.3 percent on two-point shots in the final 22 games and 42.1 percent
from behind the arc (16-for-38) in the last 12 games.
Durham led Canisius with 127 assists last season, ranking
second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 4.3 assists per game
average. The 5-foot-5 guard ranked second on the team in scoring (9.6 points
per game). Durham set the single-season program record with an 89.1 free-throw
percentage, which ranked seventh nationally. The Milville, N.J. native also
scored a game-winning layup with 0.9 seconds remaining in a 58-57 win at
Niagara.
Hoohuli received MAAC All-Rookie Team honors following
her freshman season. The 5-foot-7 guard averaged 8.6 points per game, which
ranked third among MAAC freshmen. Hoohuli led MAAC freshmen in 3-pointers (55)
and free-throw percentage (84.8). A two-time MAAC Rookie of the Week, Hoohuli
played at least 30 minutes in 20 of the final 21 games and drew a team-high 13
charges on the season.
Canisius and Niagara each had three players on the
preseason All-Big Four women's basketball teams. Niagara's Kayla Stroman earned
Preseason Player of the Year honors while Niagara's Lauren Gatto, Buffalo's
Nytor Longar and St. Bonaventure's Doris Ortega joined Stroman and Ruttle on
the All-Big Four First Team.
The Canisius College women's basketball team opens the
2012-13 season on Friday, Nov. 9, when the Golden Griffins host fellow Big Four
rival the University at Buffalo. Tipoff in the Koessler Athletic Center is set
for 7 p.m. and tickets are available at the Canisius College Ticket Office by
calling 716-888-2885.
Canisius returns all five starters, nine letterwinners
and 98 percent of its scoring from its 2011-12 team.
