Devonna Smith, senior forward on the UMSL women’s basketball team, became the UMSL Tritons’ second ever GLVC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. (Photo by Danny Reise)
The University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Devonna Smith has been named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced last week by the league office. The senior forward helped pace the UMSL Tritons with two home division wins.
Smith tallied back-to-back double-doubles, averaging 16.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. She shot 44 percent from the field while playing 38.5 minutes per game.
In UMSL’s 71-69 win over William Jewell College (Liberty, Mo.) on Feb. 14, Smith netted 19 points and 15 rebounds, seven of which were on the offensive end. The St. Louis native tacked on three assists, two steals, and shot 7-for-13 (53 percent) from the field.
On Feb. 16, Smith logged her seventh double-double of the season netting 14 points and 16 rebounds in the Tritons’ 64-62 double overtime win against Rockhurst University (Kansas City, Mo.). She clogged the paint corralling 12 defensive rebounds, snatched four steals, swatted three block shots, and dished two assists in the victory.
Smith, who is majoring in social work, leads UMSL in scoring with 13.7 points and also averages 9.8 rebounds each time out.
The honor is Smith’s first of her career and the first for an UMSL player since Hazaria Washington received the award on Dec. 3, 2012.
With the two wins, UMSL improved to 14-9, 9-6 GLVC, and secured its first winning season since 2005-06 (16-12, 9-10).
