2009-10 ALL-NJAC RELEASE
PITMAN, NJ (www.NJCUGothicKnights.com)...New Jersey City University sophomore forward EBONY CUNNINGHAM (East Orange, NJ/East Orange Campus) has been voted Honorable Mention All-New Jersey Athletic Conference for the 2009-10 season. A two-time NJAC Player of the Week and two-time ECAC Division III Metro Player of the Week selection, the award marks the first all-conference accolade of her career.
In 23 games (16 starts), Cunningham led NJCU in scoring and rebounding, averaging 15.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 0.9 assists in 30.2 minutes per night. For the season, Cunningham registered 357 points, 183 rebounds (82 offensive, 101 defensive), 48 steals, 20 assists and three blocks in 695 minutes. She shot .320 from the field (129-403), .235 from three-point distance (28-119) and 71-of-128 from the line (.555).
Cunningham reached double figures in 19 of 23 games, notching 20 or more points on six occasions, and twice scored more than 30 points in a game. Her 35-point performance in NJCU's victory at York College (NY) on December 12 matched the second highest scoring total in program history and set a school record for points in a road game.
She earned selection to the D3hoops.com National Team of the Week for this achievement, which was the highest scoring total in the NJAC this season. Meanwhile, her 32-point outburst in a loss to Ramapo College on February 13 was the third highest in the conference.
Cunningham also was a determined rebounder, grabbing double figures in caroms eight times, with six double-doubles. For her career, she has recorded nine 20-point performances, 17 double-digit rebounding efforts and 12 double-doubles.
She was named NJAC Player of the week in weeks four (December 14) and 13 (February 15), earning ECAC Player of the Week honors the same weeks. She was the first NJCU player named to the All-NJAC team since the 2007-08 season.
Fifth-year head coach ASHANTE TIMOLL said: “It's a great honor for Ebony to have her talent recognized by the other coaches in the NJAC. I'm proud of her accomplishments during her sophomore campaign and hopefully she uses this as additional motivation as the leader of this young squad.”
She was the only returning player from the 2008-09 club, when she scored 263 points and tallied 188 rebounds, averaging 12.0 points and 8.5 rebounds as a freshman. She had 620 points and 371 rebounds in two seasons.
Behind her play, the Knights (7-18, 3-10 NJAC), nearly qualified for the conference tournament for the first time since the 1988-89 season, before dropping the final three league games.
Among the NJAC leaders (as of February 25), Cunningham ranked fourth in scoring, fifth in offensive rebounding (3.57/game), seventh in rebounding, eighth in offensive rebounding (4.39/game), 10th in three-pointers made (1.22/game) and minutes played, 13th in steals, tied for 16th in three-point percentage, 20th in free throw percentage, and 25th in field goal percentage.
In 13 NJAC games, Cunningham was sixth in offensive rebounding (3.18), seventh in rebounding (8.1), eighth in defensive rebounding (4.91), and ninth in scoring (13.0)
—www.njcugothicknights.com—
