Women's Basketball Nabs Four American Awards

PHILADELPHIA -- The Temple women's basketball team took home four regular season awards, as announced by the conference office on Thursday. Senior Feyonda Fitzgerald highlighted the haul, earning first team All-Conference honors, while junior Tanaya Atkinson was named the American Sixth Player of the Year. Juniors Alliya Butts and Donnaizha Fountain rounded out the awards, with second team All-Conference selections.

Fitzgerald earns a first team selection for the first time in her career after previously being named to the second team in both 2016 and 2014. The guard has developed into one of the all-time greats in both Temple and American Athletic Conference history. She averages 16.9 points and 7.3 assists per game, with her assist total (213) ranking her fourth in the nation. She now owns Temple's single season and career assist records, and recently passed UConn's Moriah Jefferson for the conference record for assists in a season. A talented playmaker, Fitzgerald has also been a prolific scorer for the Owls, ranking second all-time in program history with 1,760 total points. The Norfolk, Va. native has been noticed on the national stage, being named a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award for top collegiate point guard, and she appears on the watch lists for the USBWA Player of the Year and the Dawn Staley Award.

Atkinson earns her first major award from the American, becoming the second Owl in program history to be named the Sixth Player of the Year. The New Haven, Conn. guard is a threat on both sides of the ball, averaging 13.0 points and a team-best 8.3 rebounds per game. Atkinson's offensive rebounding prowess puts her on top of The American and eighth nationally in offensive boards per game. This season, she leads the Owls with eight double-doubles and boasts season highs of 30 points and 15 rebounds.

Butts makes her third-straight appearance on the American All-Conference team. The guard averages 14.9 points and 3.2 assists per game, leading the team with a massive 64 steals. Butts owns every Temple three-point record, recently taking over the career and single season crowns. The Edgewater Park, N.J. native also ranks in the top-40 in the nation in both total threes and threes per game, and has made five or more in a game on four occasions. Butts owns season highs of 27 points, seven steals, and six assists.

Fountain, hailing from Roxbury, Mass., earns her first selection to the American All-Conference squad. The guard is a major spark for the Owls, both offensively and defensively. She is third on the team with 14.1 points per game and second on the Owls with 7.5 rebounds per game. In conference play, Fountain ranks in the top-15 in scoring, rebounding, steals, and three-point percentage. This season, the junior has led Temple in scoring 10 times and rebounding seven, owning season-bests of 26 points, 16 rebounds, and seven steals.

Temple is set to open play at the 2017 Frontier Communications American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament on Saturday. The Owls, the number two seed, will take on the winner of #10 Houston and #7 Cincinnati in the quarterfinals at 6:00 p.m. on ESPN3.

2016-17 American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Regular Season Awards

American Defensive Player of the Year
Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn

American Most Improved Player of the Year
Maria Jespersen, Jr., F, USF

American Sixth Player of the Year
Tanaya Atkinson, Jr., G, Temple

American Sportsmanship Award
Leslie Vorpahl, Sr., G, Tulane

American Newcomer of the Year
Shanice Johnson, Jr., F, Cincinnati *

All-Conference First Team
Aliyah Gregory, Jr., G, UCF
Napheesa Collier, So., F, UConn
Katie Lou Samuelson, So., G/F, UConn
Gabby Williams, Jr., F, UConn
Maria Jespersen, Jr., F, USF
Kitija Laksa, So., G/F, USF
Feyonda Fitzgerald, Sr., G, Temple

All-Conference Second Team
Kia Nurse, Jr., G, UConn
Alicia Froling, Jr., F, SMU
Alliya Butts, Jr., G, Temple
Donnaizha Fountain, Jr., G, Temple
Kolby Morgan, Jr., G, Tulane

All-Conference Third Team
Zykira Lewis, Sr., G, UCF
Shanice Johnson, Jr., F, Cincinnati
Saniya Chong, Sr., G, UConn
Cheyenne Creighton, Jr., F, Memphis
Brea Elmore, Jr., G, Memphis
Leslie Vorpahl, Sr., G, Tulane

All-Freshman Team
Crystal Dangerfield, Fr., G, UConn
Angela Harris, Fr., G, Houston
Jasmyne Harris, Fr., G, Houston
Tamara Henshaw, Fr., F, USF
Shug Dickson, Fr., G, Tulsa
Kendrian Elliott, Fr., F, Tulsa

Temple University Athletics

Women's Basketball Nabs Four American Awards

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Players Mentioned

Tanaya Atkinson

Alliya Butts

Feyonda Fitzgerald

Donnaizha Fountain

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