Fairfield star among players from 1-bid leagues who could make impact
Chattanooga’s Jada Guinn entered the postseason with a little extra incentive.
Although she earned first-team all-southern Conference honors, Guinn wasn’t selected as the league’s player of the year.
“That was kind of like a goal of mine,” the 5-foot-8 guard said. “I felt like I deserved it. I didn’t get it, but it just gave me a chip on my shoulder to go into the tournament and prove how good of a player I thought I was.”
Guinn scored 33 points in a 66-55 Southern Conference semifinal victory over Mercer and had 32 more points when Chattanooga defeated UNC Greensboro 69-60 in the championship game. She shot 23 of 37 from the floor and 19 of 22 from the free-throw line in those two games.
Her brilliant performance helped earn Chattanooga (28-4) an NCAA Tournament first-round matchup with North Carolina State (27-6) on Saturday at Raleigh, North Carolina.
This NCAA bid caps a spectacular season for Guinn, who has scored a career-high 19.7 points per game in her first year at a new school. Guinn transferred to Chattanooga after spending four seasons at Tennessee Tech, a tenure that included a trip to the NCAA tourney as Ohio Valley Tournament champions.
Guinn and Chattanooga are hoping they can become more competitive now that they’ve joined forces. They enter this tournament as a No. 14 seed in the Portland 4 Region.
Guinn is one of several women’s players from one-bid leagues who have a chance to make an impact on this NCAA Tournament.
Janelle Brown, Fairfield: Brown, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference player of the year, has helped Fairfield (31-1) win 29 consecutive games. The 5-6 guard scored 15 points in the MAAC championship game as the Stags rallied from a 13-point, second-half deficit to beat Niagara 70-62 in overtime. Brown averages 13.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 57.8% from the floor and 44.8% from 3-point range.
First-round game: Saturday at Indiana (24-5)
Emani Jefferson, Florida Gulf Coast: After playing one season at Wright
State and two at Memphis, Jefferson has thrived in her first season at FGCU. The 5-6 guard was named the Atlantic Sun’s overall player of the year, defensive player of the year and co-newcomer of the year. Jefferson averages 16.1 points, 5.5 rebounds. 3.8 assists and 2 steals. She will try to help FGCU (29-4) continue its tradition of outperforming its NCAA Tournament seed. The Eagles have advanced beyond the first round as a No. 12 seed three of the last six seasons. They’re seeded 12th again this year and have won 22 straight games.
First-round game: Saturday vs. Oklahoma (22-9) at Bloomington, Indiana
Loera was named the Big Sky’s player of the year and, for the second year in a row, defensive player of the year. The 5-9 guard has averaged 13.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 2.5 steals while shooting 40.4% from 3-point range. Loera has spent the last two years at Eastern Washington (29-5) after playing three seasons at Arizona State.
First-round game: Friday at Oregon State (24-7)
For two of the last three seasons, Simon has earned a dual honor as the America East Conference’s player of the year and defensive player of the year. The exception came during the 2022-23 season, when an ankle injury limited her to 14 games. Simon averages 18.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Black Bears (24-9). The 5-9 guard from Luxembourg had 34 points, 11 rebounds and five steals in a 67-59 loss to Indiana this season.
First-round game: Friday at Ohio State (25-5)
Chloe Webb, California Baptist: Webb, the Western Athletic Conference player of the year, is averaging 21.1 points and 8.1 rebounds. She ranks 14th among all Division I players in points per game. The 5-8 guard had 24 points and 15 rebounds in a 75-74 WAC championship game victory over Stephen F. Austin. She has scored at least 20 points in 10 of her last 14 games. Webb has spent the last two seasons at California Baptist (28-3) after playing three years for UC Irvine.
First-round game: Saturday at UCLA (25-6)