Taylor and Hayes Named to Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List
October 25, 2021 | Women's Basketball
STARKVILLE – Mississippi State women's basketball placed two on the 2022 Nancy Lieberman Award Preseason Watchlist, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Monday. Myah Taylor earns the honor for the second consecutive season, while one of State's newest members, Anastasia Hayes, also makes the prestigious list.
Honoring the nation's best point guards, Taylor and Hayes are two of just 20 total players selected to the 2022 Nancy Lieberman Award watchlist. The pair is one of just two sets of teammates honored and two of just four SEC players to earn the honor.
Taylor, who was a finalist for the award last season, is coming off a career year in 2020-21 where she averaged a career-best 9.9 points per game, 3.0 rebounds and averaged 4.1 assists per game, which ranked fifth in the SEC a season ago. During her junior campaign, Taylor posted a 2.36 assist-to-turnover ratio, the fourth-best average in the SEC. Taylor recorded at least five assists in eight games in a shortened season while scoring in double-figures 11 different contests.
Hayes, who enters her first season in Starkville, was one of the nation's most prolific scorer's last season, averaging 26.5 points per game, the second-best scoring average in America. She was named Conference-USA's Player of the Year while earning the second-straight First Team All-C-USA honor of her career. While leading Middle Tennessee to a 17-8 record, she averaged 5.1 assists and 2.8 rebounds per game. She ranked 13th national in steals (69) and 19th in assists (128) while leading all of Division I in free throws attempted (265) and free throws made (169). Hayes eclipsed the 30-point margin in six different games with a career-best 42-points against UAB on Jan. 30, 2021. In 2018, at Tennessee, Hayes was named the SEC's Sixth Woman of the Year.
College basketball fans are encouraged to participate in Fan Voting presented by Dell Technologies in each of the three rounds. In late January, the watch list of 20 players for the 2022 Nancy Liberman Point Guard of the Year Award will be narrowed to 10 and then in late February to just five. In March, the five finalists will be presented to Ms. Lieberman and the Hall of Fame's selection committee, where a winner will be selected.
The winner of the 2022 Nancy Lieberman Award will be presented on a to-be-determined date, along with the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. Additional awards being presented include the Ann Meyers Drysdale Shooting Guard Award, the Cheryl Miller Small Forward Award, the Katrina McClain Power Forward Award, and the Lisa Leslie Center Award, in addition to the Men's Starting Five.
Mississippi State fans can get their first look at the 2021-22 squad on Monday, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. when State hosts Mississippi College in their lone preseason exhibition. The season will officially tip-off on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. inside the Humphrey Coliseum against Alabama State.
Season tickets for the 2021-22 season are underway. Fans can purchase season tickets at hailstate.com/tickets or by calling the Mississippi State Ticket Office at (662) 325-2600 or (888) Go Dawgs (888-463-2947).
For the most up-to-date information on the Bulldogs, follow MSU women's basketball on Twitter, like them on Facebook, and join them on Instagram by searching for "HailStateWBK."
2022 Nancy Lieberman Point Guard of the Year Award Candidates*
Dyaisha Fair, Buffalo
Ali Patberg, Indiana
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Jazmine Massengill, Kentucky
Hailey Van Lith, Louisville
Ashley Owusu, Maryland
Amy Dilk, Michigan
Myah Taylor, Mississippi St.
Anastasia Hayes, Mississippi St.
Raina Perez, NC State
Diamond Johnson, NC State
Veronica Burton, Northwestern
Te-Hina Pao Pao, Oregon
Lauren Park-Lane, Seton Hall
Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
Lauren Heard, TCU
Gina Conti, UCLA
Paige Bueckers, UConn
Dru Gylten, Utah
Katia Gallegos, UTEP
*Players can play their way onto and off the list at any point in the 2021-22 season
– HailState.com –
