Women’s basketball players earn all-conference honors

Three Blue Devils received All-ACC recognition Tuesday, and freshman Elizabeth Williams was named ACC rookie of the year.

Williams became the fourth player in Duke history to earn rookie of the year honors, and the first since Alana Beard won the award in 2001. She tied the conference record by having been named ACC rookie of the week nine times during the regular season. The 6-foot-3 center set the ACC freshman record for blocks in a season with 102, and her 3.6 blocks per game rank first in the ACC and third nationally. She adds contributions in all five major categories—14.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.5 assists per game.

She is also just the third freshman in league history to be named to the All-ACC first team, where she joins sophomore teammate Chelsea Gray. Gray paces the conference with 6.2 assists per game, in addition to 11.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.7 steals per contest.

Williams and Gray have recorded the only two triple-doubles in the ACC this season—Gray with 14 points, 11 rebounds nd a school-record 13 assists against Pittsburgh, and Williams with 18 points, 16 rebounds, and a conference-record 12 blocks against Wake Forest.

Miami also placed two players on the first team, senior guards Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams. Maryland sophomore forward Alyssa Thomas was the final player on the first-team roster.

Haley Peters’ 10.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game earned her a spot on the All-ACC, rounding out the trio of Blue Devils to be honored.