ST. LOUIS (Jan. 22, 2019) – In what must be a proverbial cherry-on-top moment, Oklahoma Christian guard Addy Clift was named Tuesday as the women's NCAA Division II national player of the week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.

The 5-foot-7 senior from Kiowa emerged from a group of nominees from Division II's 24 conferences to receive the award. It's the first time this season a player from the Heartland Conference has received the national award.

Clift is the only the fifth OC women's basketball player to win a national player-of-the-week award and the first at the Division II level. The others were Elizabeth Mullins (NAIA, January 2002), Katy O'Steen (NCCAA, January 2013 and March 2013), Sydney Hill (NCCAA, March 2013) and Roz Hamilton (NCCAA, March 2014).

"Addy is absolutely the hardest worker I have coached in my 30-plus years of coaching," OC coach Stephanie Findley said. "I am so happy the USBWA has chosen to recognize her this week. She deserves all the accolades that come her way, though she never expects, or worries about, any of that. She is perhaps the most humble player I have coached as well. She and our team had a great week this week I just hope we can continue to improve and ride the momentum."


Clift was named the Heartland Conference player of the week earlier Tuesday after two record-setting performances in which she averaged 35.5 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
 
She scored 26 points in 26 minutes in last Thursday's 105-50 win over Texas A&M International, moving past Nia Torru of Incarnate Word (Texas) as the Heartland's all-time leading scorer. She also dished out six assists and grabbed five rebounds while knocking down 7 of 13 field goals and all 11 free throw attempts.
 
Two days later, Clift poured in 45 points in a 104-53 victory over St. Mary's (Texas), breaking her month-old school and conference single-game scoring record. She went 13 of 23 from the field, including 7 of 10 from 3-point range, and was 12 of 13 at the free-throw line, while also contributing six assists, five rebounds and two steals.
 
On the week, Clift shot 55.6 percent from the field, including 61.5 percent (8 of 13) from three-point range and 95.8 percent (23 of 24) at the free-throw line. She finished the week with 1,838 career points, fifth among active Division II players.

Clift also moved into the season scoring lead in NCAA Division II at 27.8 points per game.

In good part due to Clift, the Lady Eagles posted consecutive 100-point games for only the fourth time in the program's 42-season history and for the first time since November 1995, when they opened the season by beating Paul Quinn (Texas) 102-60 and Southwestern Adventist (Texas) 122-29. OC never before had posted consecutive 100-point games against conference opponents.

Since OC began competing at the Division II level with the 2012-13 academic year, only three other OC athletes besides Clift have received a Division II player-of-the week honor. Men's basketball star John Moon took the USBWA honor once in January 2017, and softball standouts Kala Ratliff (hitter) and Shea Coats (pitcher) won National Fastpitch Coaches Association awards in March 2014 and February 2015, respectively.