SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore Kaila Charles of the 10th-ranked Maryland women’s basketball team is one of 10 candidates in the country for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and WBCA’s Cheryl Miller Award.
Charles is leading the Terrapins in scoring (17.9) and rebounding (7.9) and steals (1.9). She has scored in double figures in 19 of 21 games this season to help lead Maryland (18-3, 7-1 B1G) to the top of the Big Ten standings.
She is fifth in the Big Ten in field goal percentage (.532), eighth in scoring, and 10th in rebounding.
Charles led Maryland (18-3, 7-1 B1G) to a dominating 99-96 win over No. 12 Ohio State and a tough road win at Northwestern last week. She averaged 24.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals. She shot 76 percent from the field and went 10-for-12 at the foul line in the two games.
Against No. 12 Ohio State Monday, Charles went 12-for-16 from the field and 7-for-8 at the free throw line for a career-high 32 points with seven boards, three blocks and an assist. At Northwestern Thursday, she fought through foul trouble for a team-high 17 points with two steals, a block and an assist.
She earned Big Ten Player of the Week and USBWA National Player of the Wek honors as well.
The Selection Committee for the Cheryl Miller Award is composed of top women’s college basketball personnel including media members, head coaches, sports information directors and Hall of Famers. In March, five finalists will be presented to Ms. Miller and the Hall of Fame’s selection committee. Fans will also have the opportunity to vote for their favorite finalists to determine the Naismith Starting 5 at www.hoophallawards.com.
The winner of the 2018 Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award will be announced during ESPN2’s telecast of the national semifinal games in the 2018 NCAA Women’s Final Four in Columbus, Ohio on Friday, March 30.
Maryland is ranked No. 11 in the Associated Press poll and No. 10 in the USA Today Coaches poll.
Next, Maryland will host Rutgers (17-6, 5-4) Thursday at 7 p.m. at the XFINITY Center in the Terrapins' annual Play4Kay Pink Game. The Terps will sport pink and fans are encouraged to do the same in support of breast cancer awareness. For tickets, call the Terrapin Ticket Office at 1-800-IM-A-TERP or click here.
The Terrapins will attempt to break a world record by having the most people simultaneously blowing pink bubbles between the first and second quarters.
The Terps-Scarlet Knights game will be streamed live online through BTN2Go.com and the BTN2Go app. Fans can watch using their BTN Plus subscriptions. Fans outside the U.S. can watch here. Live stats will be available and live updates will be posted to the Terrapins’ Twitter feed at @umdwbb.
Fans can listen to the Maryland-Rutgers game here or on 1300 AM.
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