by Lions Sports Information Department
Lincoln University women’s basketball player Kwanza Murray and women’s basketball Head Coach Darrell Mosley earned major awards as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced their Division II Women’s Basketball All-Star and Major Award Winners on Tuesday.
Murray was named the ECAC Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Year while Mosley earned ECAC Division II Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year honors. It marks the first time in the Lions’ NCAA Division II era that the women’s basketball program has had a player or coach earn an ECAC major award at the end of the season.
A 2019 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) All-Conference honoree, Murray led the team in scoring (18.0 points/game), three point field goals made (55), three point field goal percentage (.451) and free throw percentage (.800). She finished second on the team in field goal percentage (.457) and steals (31).
Murray ranked third in the CIAA in scoring and led the league in three-point field goal percentage. In all, she was ranked among the top five CIAA players in six different offensive categories and top three in five.
The junior guard set single season school records for three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage in 2018-19. In her first game as a Lion on December 15, 2018 against Winston-Salem State, Kwanza made six three-point field goals, setting a Lincoln NCAA division II-era record for most three-point field goals in a single game. She reached double figure scoring in 18 of her 21 games played, including a career-high 31 against Virginia State on February 23, 2019.
Murray was named the ECAC Division II Women’s Basketball Player of the Month for February, averaging 18.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. She was also earned CIAA Newcomer of the Week honors.
A runner-up for CIAA Coach of the Year honors, Mosley led his women’s basketball squad to a 17-14 mark and their third consecutive appearance in the CIAA Tournament Semi-Finals. Losing several players including two starters and key reserves early on to season-ending injuries or academics; Mosley’s squad played the bulk of their grueling conference division schedule with just eight players dressing for their games. Lincoln finished in the regular season in third place in the CIAA North Division behind eventual tournament champion Virginia Union University and Bowie State University. Both VUU and BSU went on to participate in the NCAA National Tournament.
The Lions turned in an impressive mark in road contests during the season winning 12 of their 17 total wins away from Manuel Rivero Hall. (12-6). Lincoln had a 6-2 overall regular season mark in road conference games and was an impressive 5-0 against CIAA North Division teams on the road.
Mosley eclipsed the 50 career win plateau earlier in the season, becoming the fifth coach in program history to record 50 wins and the fastest to do so, reaching the mark in 102 games. His current record stands at 58-57 and is third on the Lions all-time list behind Barbara Crittenden (94) and Alfred Miles (75)
ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation’s largest conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men’s and women’s sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes.
ECAC Division II institutions stretch from Connecticut in the north to Georgia in the south and Missouri in the west. Eleven different primary Division II conferences have institutions that also hold ECAC membership. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
