William Named To Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List
November 06, 2017 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. – After catching the attention of the nation last season, Mississippi State senior Morgan William begins 2017-18 on the watch list for the prestigious Nancy Lieberman Award.
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame placed William on the 20-player watch list for the award, which is presented annually to the nation's top point guard. That honor came the same day Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs were ranked fourth in espnW's preseason Top 25 poll. MSU was also fourth in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll and seventh by Associated Press.
The Birmingham, Ala., native is one of two SEC players on the list, joining South Carolina's Bianca Cuevas-Moore.
William tallied Preseason All-SEC accolades a year ago after rating second on the team with 10.9 ppg. She averaged 9.5 ppg in SEC play.
William, who was ranked as the 23rd-best player in the nation entering the season by espnW, earned Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and Second Team All-SEC accolades after shooting 46.3% from the field and an SEC third-best 84.2% from the free-throw line. She also set the MSU single-season assists record with 181 and claimed the top spot on the career list with 480.
William was named Most Outstanding Player of the Oklahoma City Regional after averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the wins against Washington and Baylor. She tallied 41 points in the Elite Eight victory against the Bears, the most ever by an SEC player in an NCAA Tournament game.
She followed that performance with 13 points, including the winning bucket in overtime, and six assists in the Bulldogs' historic win against UConn in the national semifinal. That epic performance earned her a spot with classmate Victoria Vivians on the All-Final Four Team, and it garnered her an ESPY nomination for Best Play.
William and the Bulldogs open the 2017-18 slate on Nov. 10 against Virginia in the second half of a Humphrey Coliseum doubleheader with the MSU men's team. The men host Alabama State at 5:30 p.m., with the women's contest following at 8 p.m.
Between games, a special Final Four banner-raising ceremony will be held to commemorate the historic campaign. Tickets for the doubleheader cost $20 each and are being sold separately from season ticket packages.
Advance tickets purchased in sections 204-208 cost $10 each. All other sections cost $20 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets or by phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
2018 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame placed William on the 20-player watch list for the award, which is presented annually to the nation's top point guard. That honor came the same day Vic Schaefer's Bulldogs were ranked fourth in espnW's preseason Top 25 poll. MSU was also fourth in the USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll and seventh by Associated Press.
The Birmingham, Ala., native is one of two SEC players on the list, joining South Carolina's Bianca Cuevas-Moore.
William tallied Preseason All-SEC accolades a year ago after rating second on the team with 10.9 ppg. She averaged 9.5 ppg in SEC play.
William, who was ranked as the 23rd-best player in the nation entering the season by espnW, earned Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and Second Team All-SEC accolades after shooting 46.3% from the field and an SEC third-best 84.2% from the free-throw line. She also set the MSU single-season assists record with 181 and claimed the top spot on the career list with 480.
William was named Most Outstanding Player of the Oklahoma City Regional after averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 6.5 assists in the wins against Washington and Baylor. She tallied 41 points in the Elite Eight victory against the Bears, the most ever by an SEC player in an NCAA Tournament game.
She followed that performance with 13 points, including the winning bucket in overtime, and six assists in the Bulldogs' historic win against UConn in the national semifinal. That epic performance earned her a spot with classmate Victoria Vivians on the All-Final Four Team, and it garnered her an ESPY nomination for Best Play.
William and the Bulldogs open the 2017-18 slate on Nov. 10 against Virginia in the second half of a Humphrey Coliseum doubleheader with the MSU men's team. The men host Alabama State at 5:30 p.m., with the women's contest following at 8 p.m.
Between games, a special Final Four banner-raising ceremony will be held to commemorate the historic campaign. Tickets for the doubleheader cost $20 each and are being sold separately from season ticket packages.
Advance tickets purchased in sections 204-208 cost $10 each. All other sections cost $20 each. Tickets can be purchased online at www.hailstate.com/tickets or by phone at 1-888-GO-DAWGS.
2018 Nancy Lieberman Award Candidates
| Kennedy Leonard | Colorado |
| Kia Nurse | Connecticut |
| Lexie Brown | Duke |
| Tianna Tarter | East Tennessee State |
| Loren Cagle | Lipscomb |
| Sydni Means | Mercer |
| Katelynn Flaherty | Michigan |
| Kenisha Bell | Minnesota |
| Morgan William | Mississippi State |
| Kelsey Mitchell | Ohio St. |
| Sabrina Ionescu | Oregon |
| Teniya Page | Penn St. |
| Jackie Kemph | Saint Louis |
| Bianca Cuevas-Moore | South Carolina |
| Jessica Kovatch | St. Francis (PA) |
| Brooke McCarty | Texas |
| Jordin Canada | UCLA |
| Chanette Hicks | Virginia Tech |
| Emily Clemens | Western Illinois |
| Deja Wimby | Western Michigan |
Players Mentioned
G
/ Women's Basketball
G
/ Women's BasketballWOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell, Favour Nwaedozi vs Florida - 3/4/26
Wednesday, March 04
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 2/24/26
Tuesday, February 24
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 2/18/26
Wednesday, February 18
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Highlights at Arkansas - 2/16/26
Tuesday, February 17