The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 1 of the season:
Sarah Strong, UConn
The sophomore forward averaged 21.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists to go with two blocks and two steals in the top-ranked Huskies’ wins over then-No. 20 Louisville and Florida State. She had a double-double in the season opener against the Cardinals. She followed that up with a 21-point, nine-rebound performance in just 23 minutes against the Seminoles.
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Runner-Up
Taliah Scott, Baylor. The redshirt sophomore guard had 24 points in then-No. 16 Baylor’s win over then-No. 7 Duke to open the season, which was the most points in a victory over a Top 25 team last week. She followed that up with another strong performance against Lindenwood, shooting 56% from the field, including making five 3-pointers. She averaged 26.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists in the two wins.
Honorable Mention
Hannah Hidalgo, No. 18 Notre Dame; Aislin Malcolm, Robert Morris; Liv McGill, Florida.
Keep an eye on
Columbia guard Riley Weiss led the Lions to a pair of road wins over Butler and Ohio. She had 27 in the overtime win over the Bulldogs to open the season, scoring nine of the team’s final 14 points in regulation to erase a seven-point deficit and force OT. The junior then added 18 points in just 25 minutes against Ohio.
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