D3hoops.com National Team of the Week

PITMAN, N.J. (February 6, 2017) – Senior guard Maria Simmons was named the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Player of the Week on Monday afternoon and on Tuesday morning she was named to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week.

Simmons had a week for the ages, helping Rutgers University-Newark to a pair of wins in the conference. The veteran guard turned in remarkable per game averages of 35.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 4.5 steals per game, playing 84 of a possible 85 minutes.
 
In a road win over Ramapo College on Wednesday night in Mahwah, Simmons set a new career-high with 34 points, adding 10 rebounds and five assists for a double-double. She came back Saturday night – in front of her home crowd – pouring in another career-high of 37 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. An excellent 16 of those points came during a fourth-quarter comeback in which the team erased a 12-point deficit in an overtime triumph.
 
Simmons and the Scarlet Raiders have won three-straight games inside the conference to improve to 7-8 in the NJAC this year. The seven league wins are already three more than in 2015-16 and the team still has three conference contests on the schedule.
 
NJAC Standings

Coming into last week, Simmons' previous career-high was 31 points. She hit that mark once last year and once on January 7, 2017. For the year, Simmons now has seven double-doubles and she has double-doubled in three-straight games – all wins.
 
Next up for the Scarlet Raiders is a trip to rival Stockton University Wednesday night. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.