Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Basketball's Kesha Champion Named Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week
1/14/2008 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 14, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Kesha Champion (Chesapeake, Va./Indian River), a senior guard on the Bucknell women's basketball team, was named the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week Monday after a 15-point, 11-assist, six-rebound performance in Saturday's Patriot League opener at Navy. Champion helped lead the Bison to a 71-45 victory over the Mids as she recorded her second career double-double.
Starting her 103rd consecutive game, Champion had a strong first half as she helped Bucknell to a 20-point halftime advantage over Navy. She totaled six points and eclipsed her career high with nine assists before halftime. She added nine points, two more assists and one steal in the second half as she played all 40 minutes of the contest.
Champion has been Bucknell's most productive offensive performer of late, tallying double figures in points in a career-best five consecutive games. She is averaging 16.8 points and 5.0 assists over that span. Additionally, her 3-point shooting has been much improved. She has connected on 11 of 21 from behind the arc over the last five games and has seen her season percentage jump to 39.4, a figure that would rank second in the Patriot League if she qualified.
A co-captain, Champion ranks second on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg) and rebounding (4.9 rpg) and paces the squad with 64 assists. On a career level, she ranks fifth in Bison history with 299 assists and could climb as high as third on that list before the end of the season.
Champion is the second Bison women's basketball player to be honored with the Damon's Bison Athlete of the Week, joining classmate Kristina Collymore (Montclair, N.J./Montclair), who earned the citation in late November after posting a double-double of her own with 14 points and 11 assists in a win over Howard.
Champion will lead Bucknell in its quest to open the Patriot League schedule 2-0 for the eighth time when it travels to Washington, D.C., to face American Wednesday, Jan. 16, at 7 p.m.
