By: Jade Richardson
Burnaby, BC – Simon Fraser University women's basketball player
Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe (Toronto, ON) has been named to the Daktronics All-Region first team.
"Having such a strong team around me has helped me be successful this season," said Raincock-Ekunwe. "I think the award definitely represents the work that was put in during the summer and pre-season. I feel stronger which has made me more confident in my ability to play and finish inside."
This award comes off the heels of her Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year award and being named a Great Northwest Athletic Conference first team all-star.
The senior forward has had a strong final season with the Clan, leading NCAA Division II in field goal percentage at 65.8 percent.
She has averaged 16.6 points per game and 12.7 rebounds. Her rebounding average is the top mark in the GNAC and fourth in the nation.
In her senior season, the 6'2 Raincock-Ekunwe broke the GNAC conference record for double-doubles, despite only competing in the conference for three years. She has recorded 60 double-doubles for the Clan since joining the conference in 2010.
Raincock-Ekunwe and the Clan will be back in action at the NCAA West Region playoffs, Saturday, March 16 as they take on their GNAC rivals from Northwest Nazarene University in the opening round.
"On Saturday, I want to be more aggressive and take shots that I know I can make. In our last game I forced a lot of shots up and it showed in my field goal percentage. As a team, we just need to play the game we know we are capable of playing. We need to get focused and be ready to play or this will be our last weekend of basketball for the year," finished Raincock-Ekunwe.
Tip-off is at 2:30 p.m. in Bellingham, WA. Clan Athletics is offering a free fan bus to the game, leaving at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. Visit athletics.sfu.ca to sign up.
