NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – On Thursday, the Atlantic 10 announced that Duquesne women's basketball student-athletes Libby Bazelak and Nina Aho earned all-conference honors. Bazelak was named to the A-10 Second Team and All-Academic Team, while Aho was selected to the All-Defensive Team.
Bazelak led Duquesne in scoring (13.7 ppg), rebounding (6.4 rgp), assists (3.8 apg) and steals (1.4) during the 2019-20 campaign, while also ranking as one of the top-five most efficient 3-point shooters nationally (46.2 percent). The jinior guard started in all 29 regular-season games for Duquesne, reaching double-figures in scoring in all but three games, while posting four double-doubles. Overall, she led the Dukes in scoring in 10 games, rebounding in 12 games, and assists in 10 games.
The Kettering, Ohio native posted 20-plus points on four different occasions, including a career-best 23 points against then undefeated in conference VCU on Feb. 2. Currently, Bazelak ranks ninth in the Atlantic 10 in scoring, eighth in rebounding, 10th in field goal percentage, first in 3-point field goal percentage, sixth in assists, ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio and third in minutes.
In the classroom, Bazelak is just as impressive, posting a 3.83 GPA as a physician's assistant studies major. She has earned Dean's List, Director of athletics' Honor Roll and Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll. She is the first Duke to be named to the all-academic team since April Robinson in 2016.
"Libby is having a breakout year and I believe she is the most complete guard in our league," said head coach Dan Burt. "Libby impacts the game in many ways from scoring to passing, to running our offense to rebounding and being a strong defensive presence. We are excited that Libby has been recognized for on-court excellence while also being in a very challenging academic focus. Few student-athletes choose a major of this difficulty and fewer have high-level success in the classroom and on the court like Libby has done. Libby is the definition of student-athlete.
Nina Aho started all 28 games she appeared in, missing two games to injury. The Budapest, Hungary native was a a thorn in the side of opposing offenses all season, registering 25 steals. She was a major cog in the defense that allowed the opposition to shoot just 37.6 percent from the floor and 28.8 percent from beyond the arc.
"Nina has been our defensive stalwart all season," Burt continued. "She has been playing better and better on both sides of the ball as the year progressed. With Nina's health being at 100 percent after missing the last two seasons, this is a strong indicator of what her very bright future holds. We're very happy for Nina and her selection."
With a 70-53 victory in the Atlantic 10 Championship First Round against Rhode Island on Tuesday, the sixth seed Dukes look to top third seed Fordham in the quarterfinals on Friday at 7:00 p.m. at UD Arena.
ATLANTIC 10 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham
ATLANTIC 10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Danielle Hammond, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Suzi-Rose Deegan, Davidson
ATLANTIC 10 COACH OF THE YEAR
Shauna Green, Dayton
ATLANTIC 10 MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kendra Wilken, Saint Louis
ATLANTIC 10 SIXTH WOMAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
Madison Hattix-Covington, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-CONFERENCE FIRST TEAM
Suzi-Rose Deegan, Davidson
Jayla Scaife, Dayton
Bre Cavanaugh, Fordham
Nicole Jorgensen, Rhode Island
Ciaja Harbison, Saint Louis
Tera Reed, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-CONFERENCE SECOND TEAM
Erin Whalen, Dayton
Libby Bazelak, Duquesne
Nicole Cardano-Hillary, George Mason
Sam Breen, Massachusetts
Hailey Leidel, Massachusetts
Danielle Hammond, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-CONFERENCE THIRD TEAM
Katie Turner, Davidson
Kendell Heremaia, Fordham
Davida Dale, Rhode Island
Jaide Hinds-Clarke, Richmond
Kendra Wilken, Saint Louis
Taya Robinson, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Jayla Scaife, Dayton
Araion Bradshaw, Dayton
Nina Aho, Duquesne
Shalina Miller, La Salle
Danielle Hammond, VCU
Taya Robinson, VCU
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Suzi-Rose Deegan, Davidson
Anna DeWolfe, Fordham
Mayowa Taiwo, George Washington
Claire Jacobs, La Salle
Rachel Kent, Saint Louis
ATLANTIC 10 ALL-ACADEMIC
Libby Bazelak, Duquesne
Hailey Leidel, Massachusetts
Erin Whalen, Dayton
Sarah Kaminski, George Mason
Zara Jillings, Fordham
