SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Jan. 7, 2013) – The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its weekly awards for the period ending January 6 and Mount Holyoke College student-athlete Amber Legare has been recognized. The sophomore forward was named the Player of the Week in women's basketball following an outstanding effort last week for the Lyons.
A native of Chicopee, Mass., Legare averaged a double-double of 12.0 points and 10.0 rebounds as the Lyons went 2-0. She also added a team-best five assists and five steals with a block. Legare opened the week with 14 points and 11 rebounds in a 70-51 non-conference win against Simmons.
Legare then chipped in 10 points and nine rebounds with four assists and four steals to help the Lyons to their first NEWMAC win of the season, a 51-49 victory against Wheaton.
A starter in all 10 games thus far, Legare is second on the squad in scoring, averaging 11.4 points. She leads the team in rebounding with a 7.3 average, while adding 13 assists, a team-high nine blocks and seven steals. Legare, who is shooting 41.3% (43-104) from the field, is averaging 26.1 minutes played per contest this season.
Legare has had a number of outstanding efforts this season, including during the opener as the Lyons finished runner up at the Keene State Tip-Off Tournament. An All-Tournament Team selection, she scored a combined 39 points with 17 rebounds, three blocks, an assist and a steal. Additionally, Legare has recorded 10 or more points in six games this season, while reaching 10+ rebounds in three games.
Last season, Legare played in all 24 games for Mount Holyoke, starting 23 of those contests. She finished as the team's leading rebounder, averaging 7.3 caroms per game, while also ranking second in scoring with a 9.7 points average. She added 19 assists and team-high's in both blocks (38) and steals (36). In addition to recording four double-doubles throughout the season, Legare also averaged 29.9 minutes played.
Among the highlights to her season came in a 59-57 win over Coast Guard, where she recorded a season-best 21 points, while blocking four shots. She also helped the Lyons to a 64-53 victory against Springfield late in the season with 12 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and two blocks.
Mount Holyoke returns to the court on Tuesday night, hosting NEWMAC-rival Wellesley at 7pm at the Mildred S. Howard Gymnasium. The Lyons play at WPI on Thursday (7pm) before returning home to host Coast Guard Academy on Saturday at 1pm.
Primary photo courtesy of Richard Orr Sports Photography.
