UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State women's basketball junior Kamaria McDaniel was voted First Team All-Big Ten by the conference media and Second Team All-Big Ten by the conference coaches, as announced by the Big Ten Monday afternoon. Senior Kayleigh Semion was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
McDaniel earns the first All-Big Ten honor of her career after her standout junior season in which she averaged 19.7 points per game. The Inkster, Mich., native becomes Penn State's 34th First Team All-Big Ten selection.
McDaniel's 19.7 ppg ranks second best in the conference and 15th in all of Division I, while her 20.8 points per Big Ten game leads the conference. Her outstanding junior season puts her in the top 15 of a number of Penn State single-season records including: free throws attempted (fourth – 194), field goals attempted (seventh – 482), scoring average (ninth – 19.7 ppg), free throws made (10th – 145), and total points (13th – 572).
McDaniel scored in double figures in 27 of Penn State's 29 regular-season games, including three 30-plus point performances and thirteen 20-plus point efforts. Ten of those 20-plus point performances came in Big Ten play.
She dropped the third 40-point game in program history against Pittsburgh on Dec. 5 to earn NCAA Starting Five and Big Ten Player of the Week honors. McDaniel was just one assist shy of recording Penn State's first triple-double of the Big Ten era on Jan. 9 against Michigan State as she tallied team-best marks of 24 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. She put together 30-plus point games against Minnesota (31 points – Dec. 28) and Purdue (35 points – Jan. 26).
The guard scored her 1,000th career point on March 1 at Michigan State to become the 39th member of Penn State's 1,000-point club. McDaniel has scored 572 points thus far this season, 122 more than her first two seasons combined (450). Her scoring jump comes after she finished her sophomore campaign averaging 9.7 ppg in 2018-19.
KAYLEIGH SEMION – BIG TEN SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREE
Senior Kayleigh Semion was named Penn State's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Semion has proven the value of hard work and dedication throughout her time at Penn State. She began her career as a club basketball player and team manager before earning a roster spot during the 2017-18 season. A consummate teammate, Semion has made an impact both on and off the court for the Lady Lions. She has provided a crucial spark off the bench and has always given her all. A true student-athlete, the Dunmore, Pa., native is a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and pursuing her master's degree in Management and Organizational Leadership.
The sportsmanship award is given to student-athletes from each Big Ten school who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. All recipients must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
B1G TOURNEY ON THE HORIZON
Penn State opens up postseason play Wednesday afternoon when the Lady Lions face Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis at approximately 4:30 p.m. The winner advances to Thursday's second round to take on No. 6 Ohio State at approximately 9 p.m.
The first 12 games of the tournament will be broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network, with Sunday's championship game set to air on ESPN2.
