Senior Ariel Jones (Lebanon, Pa./Cedar Crest) earned her ninth Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Eastern Division Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week award of the season on Monday after the latest edition of the awards was announced by the league office.
In a 2-0 week for the Raiders, Ariel Jones led the team totaling 66 points and 22 rebounds, and added seven steals and five assists. The Raiders clinched the Co-PSAC East Regular Season Champions after winning against Lock Haven and are now seeded second in the PSAC Tournament.
Against Shepherd, Jones had 41 points and tied her career-high six assists in a dominant win over the Rams and helped Head Coach Kristy Trn record her 400th win. Jones also set the school record for career field goals (810), a record that was previously held by Lauren Beckley (806). She was also one rebound shy of a double-double with nine (eight defensive) boards. Jones also made 13-of-14 free-throws that night.
Against Lock Haven during Senior Day, Jones totaled 25 points and broke the school record for single-season points that she held previously set in her sophomore year with 690 points. Jones’ 706 points this season has her fourth all-time in PSAC single-season points and she is the fourth player to have 700 or more points in a single season.
She is the only player in conference history to have 600 or more points in all four of her seasons.
Jones also tied her career high in rebounds with 13 against Lock Haven and recorded her fourth double-double this season. She added two assists and a steal and was 4-of-5 from the line.
Overall, Jones averaged 33.0 points per game, 11.0 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game. Jones has scored in double figures in 111 of the 115 games she has played in her career.
Jones has claimed the PSAC Eastern Division Athlete of the Week 9-out-of-13 times this season that the conference has announced an Athlete of the Week. It is the 20th time in Jones’ career that she has been named the PSAC Eastern Division Athlete of the Week. She also earned eight PSAC East Freshman of the Week awards during the 2017-18 season before the conference discontinued the Freshman of the Week award.
Jones’s nine Athlete of the Week awards this season moves her past Lauren Beckley ’11 for the most PSAC weekly awards received by a Raider in a single season. In Beckley’s freshman season (2006-07), she was named the Athlete of the Week four times and the Rookie of the Week four times.
