Women’s Basketball Wins CACC Sportsmanship Award

3/1/2022 12:00:00 AM

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Goldey-Beacom expectedly saw season awards coming from the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference with sophomore Nazim Derry (Atlantic City, NJ) picked first team all-league, junior forward Juran Ligonde (Boston, MA) tabbed third team and the women's basketball squad honored with the league's Sportsmanship Award.

The women's basketball squad, who like the men did not play in 2020-21, had a young lineup with many who are expected to be key players next season. Among them, sophomore guard Briana Seltzer (Reading, PA) had a breakthrough campaign in averaging 13.2 points per game, junior forward Alexis Harrison (Millville, NJ) played solidly in the post amassing 12.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per contest with junior Sarah Round (Northampton, England) averaging 8.3 points in an injury-abridged season.

The team this season in its latest display of community service took time at the SL24: UnLocke the Light Foundation to learn about suicide prevention and mental health issues. Over the past several months, many of the athletic department's teams and groups have utilized the foundation to learn more about their services and how they can support.

Goldey-Beacom went to the Newark, DE house and got to understand the organization's resources. Everyone had dinner and listened to a discussion from Jenny Fischer, the Associate Manager of Digital Content with the NBA. She discussed her story, her journey and how she started the "Keep Showing Up" campaign online that has raised nearly $60,000 for American Foundation of Suicide Prevention. A question and answer session followed, which the student-athletes could ask about her story and her jobs that included time with the NCAA and WNBA. Fischer openly talked about mental health and the stigma around it that resulted in a tremendous open conversation.

The squad over the last few seasons has helped promote goodwill by providing care packages for elementary school kids at the Food Bank of Delaware in New Castle and has worked with fifth graders at Highlands Elementary School in Wilmington. During the latter, the players worked with students in small groups and taught the importance of arithmetics.

The importance of Derry this entire season goes beyond the Lightning's latest trip to the CACC Tournament. His deft shooting touch, ability to get open when others teams know they have to stop him, underappreciated defense and overall knowledge of both the game and his teammates make him one of the area's most valuable players. His role was expected to increase this season from the 2019-20 campaign, but this season's play took it to a whole new level.

Derry is fourth in the country with 3.67 three-pointers per game, fourth with 99 three-pointers, 21st with 57 steals, 26th with 548 points and 31st with 986.3 minutes, all of which lead the CACC. He also is 25th with a .429 three-point percentage (fourth in the league) and 34th with 20.3 points per contest (third in the CACC).

Derry is first in team history with 99 single-season 3-pointers, tied for third with 188 single-season field goals, fifth with 548 single-season points and 16th with 862 career points. Four times this season he has achieved a career high in points with at least 24 and six times this season he has scored at least 30 points. He also has been picked to the CACC Weekly Honor Roll seven times.

He also was cited as a standout player in the East Region by D2EastHoops.com.

Ligonde has been as much of a presence in the post as anyone in the CACC, demonstrating many abilities to get the rim even when he has intense pressure on him away from the goal. His play has created a tremendous amount of balance between the perimeter and low-post game that present Goldey-Beacom multiple options.

He is 45th in the nation with 8.5 rebounds per contest (fourth in the CACC), ninth in the conference with 16.4 points per game, fifth with a .554 field goal percentage and 11th with 73 free throws. His 196 single-season rebounds are 10th-best in team history and his 347 career have him just outside the top 10.

Ligonde has notched seven double-doubles in the campaign, on January 17 was named CACC Player of the Week and four times this season has been picked to the CACC Weekly Honor Roll.

Goldey-Beacom (14-13, 10-8 CACC) is in the CACC Tournament for a fifth straight year, one shy of the school record set from 2007-12. The squad closed third in the South Division and on Tuesday will visit Dominican (NY) in the conference quarterfinals. Game time in Orangeburg, NY is 6:00 pm.

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