Michigan’s Katelynn Flaherty and Connecticut’s Kia Nurse are this week’s WBCA Wade Watch Spotlight players after their spectacular performances last week (Jan. 18 through Jan. 24).
In the Wolverines’ win over Illinois, Flaherty put up a game-high 27 points while pouring it in from outside. The senior from Point Pleasant, N.J., shot five of eight from 3-point range and 52.6 percent overall from the field. Flaherty kept her teammates involved by handing out a season-high eight assists. She got it done on both sides of the court and ended the game with a career-high four steals. After this tremendous scoring effort, she entered the Big Ten record books as the seventh Big Ten student to score 2,500 points. Her remarkable play continued as she scored 26 points in Michigan’s win over Michigan State. The senior guard kept the hot hand and shot 4 of 6 from behind the arc and 9 of 14 from the field. Flaherty and the Wolverines will travel to Chicago to take on Northwestern on Sunday.
Nurse helped keep the Huskies undefeated this week with two great games against Tulsa and Temple. She put on a remarkable shooting display going 9-for-13 for a game-high 24 points against Temple. The senior from Hamilton, Ontario, shot 4-for-8 from behind the arc as well. Nurse was second on the team in rebounds with six and helped get others involved with four assists. Her great shooting was a continuation of her night against Tulsa when she went 6-of-11 for 17 points against the Golden Hurricane. She added a marvelous 5-for-7 from 3-point range. She was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week for her spectacular play.