BRISTOL, Conn. - The reigning Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year is getting noticed on a national level.
Jamie Loera is predicted to be the Big Sky Conference 2023-24 MVP by ESPN.com.
In a preview of the upcoming women's basketball season, ESPN.com writer Charlie Crème compiled a list of MVP selections for each Division I conference.
Along with earning Defensive Player of the Year award last year, Loera was named to the All-Big Sky Third team and earned a spot on the Big Sky All-Tournament team.
With Loera's help Eastern defeated Montana in the Big Sky Tournament quarterfinal for the program's first tournament win since 2019.
The Grizzlies' Carmen Gfeller
was listed as the main challenger to Loera in the MVP race.
Loera quickly found a new home in Cheney after transferring in from Arizona State. During her first season with Eastern, Loera averaged 11.3 points per game and 6.0 rebounds per game. She averaged 5.0 assists per game to rank third in the Big Sky and 45th in the NCAA.
Loera was a constant disruption in opponents passing lanes, averaging 2.63 steals per game with 79 total for the season. She led the conference in steals per game and total steals, while ranking 21st and 26th in the nation respectively.
The Moses Lake, Wash. native had five double-doubles on the season, and scored a career-high 23 points against Grizzlies in their quarterfinal matchup.
Loera recorded the second best assist-to-turnover ratio in EWU history with a 2.17 stat line. The figure ranked 36th in the NCAA. She also had the seventh individual season in EWU history to average 10.0 points per game and 5.0 assists.
Eastern Washington women's basketball begins its season on Oct. 29 at Reese Court with an exhibition against Montana Tech at 2 p.m.
The Eagles begin the regular season on the road against Southern Utah on Nov. 8 with the home opener on Nov. 16 against Corban University.
New for the 2023-24 season, the EWU Women's Sports Pass gives fans access to over 30 Eagle Athletics events, including volleyball, soccer and women's basketball for only $5 per game! Learn more and get yours today at goeags.com/tickets or call 509-359-6056.
ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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