Michigan State University Athletics
Powers and Jankoska Earn All-Big Ten Honors
3/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State sophomores Aerial Powers and Tori Jankoska were both honored with All-Big Ten accolades by both the coaches and the media Monday. Powers was named to the first team by the two voting groups, while Jankoska was named to the second team.
Powers, a guard/forward from Detroit, Mich., was also the only Michigan State player to earn All-Defensive Team honors. Powers becomes the first MSU back-to-back first-team honoree since Maxann Reese completed the honor from in the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. Powers and Reese are also the only two multiple first-team honorees for the Spartans.
Powers ended the regular season second in the league in both scoring (21.9 ppg) and rebounding (12.1 rpg). She is first in the conference and third in the nation with 22 double-doubles. The sophomore is also sixth in the Big Ten in steals (2.3 spg) and 15th in blocks (1.1 bpg), while playing 35.5 minutes per game.
Jankoska, a guard from Freeland, Mich., earned her second-straight All-Big Ten honor after being named to the honorable mention squad last season by both the coaches and the media. The sophomore is fifth in scoring (17.6 ppg) after ending the season with three-straight 20-point games. Despite being only 5-8, Jankoska is 15th in rebounding (7.0 rpg). The versatile guard is also ninth in the Big Ten in assists (4.0 apg), tied for seventh in three-pointers made (2.2) and 12th in free throw percentage (.732). The guard leads MSU and is fourth in the B1G in minutes played, averaging 36.2 mpg.
Senior forward Becca Mills was Michigan State's Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree. Mills has started every game this season for the Spartans.
In Suzy Merchant's eight seasons, Michigan State has now earned 27 All-Big Ten selections. MSU has had at least two players earn All-Big Ten honors in each of those eight seasons under Merchant as part of 13-straight seasons.
Minnesota's Amanda Zahui B. was named Big Ten Player of the Year by the media, while Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell earned the same honor by the coaches. Mitchell was named Freshman of the Year by both groups. Maryland's Brenda Frese earned Coach of the Year honors by both the media and the coaches.
The ninth-seeded Spartans (15-14, 7-11 B1G) will face eighth-seeded Michigan (16-13, 8-10 B1G) in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, March 5 at 12:30 p.m. (ET) at Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill., and will be nationally televised on the Big Ten Network. This is the fifth time that Michigan State and Michigan will meet in the tournament since its inception in 1995. The Spartans are 4-0 in the tournament against the Wolverines, including a 61-58 win last season in Indianapolis, Ind.
