Marquita Thompson Named Northeast Conference Player of the Week; Valerie Nainima Notches Second Rookie of the Week Honor

11/27/06 -- A pair of Blackbirds were honored when the Northeast Conference announced this week’s installment of its women’s basketball awards. Senior Marquita Thompson (Garland, Texas) took home the Choice Hotels Player of the Week award while teammate Valerie Nainima (Suva, Fiji) earned the Choice Hotels Rookie of the Week nod.

Thompson was named the most valuable player at the LIU Turkey Classic after scoring game highs of 20 points in the Blackbirds’ 62-52 win over Cleveland State and 15 points in Long Island’s championship victory over South Alabama. On Nov. 20, the senior netted 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting in a 78-46 rout of Siena. Thompson also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds in each of the tournament games. For the week, she averaged 17.3 points and 7.0 rebounds.

Nainima picked up her second Rookie of the Week award in three weeks after erupting for 30 points in Long Island’s convincing win at Siena. The freshman also chipped in two rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Nainima tallied 13 points in the Blackbirds’ win over Cleveland State and added nine points against South Alabama. She averaged 17.3 points and 3.7 rebounds over three games last week.

The Blackbirds will host Navy at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center on Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 7:00 p.m.