James Dubbed Crossroads League Player of the Week

Crossroads League Release | TU Honor's Page

JACKSON, Mich. – The Crossroads League has announced yet another collection of weekly awards, the second of 2022, in which Taylor senior, Lauren James, was recognized as the Women's Basketball Player of the Week.

James was a pivotal performer for the Trojans in their two-win week, scoring an average of 21.5 points per game while shooting 47.1 percent from deep. Even more impressive, the All-American was perfect from the free-throw line, capitalizing on all 13 trips to the charity stripe.

As if that were not enough, though, James made sure to secure the victory in both games by dominating down the stretch, averaging 13.0 points in the two fourth quarters alone.

Taylor tipped-off the week against Bethel (7-11, 2-4 CL) on the road, a game in which James pocketed 19 points and eight assists, along with three steals on the defensive end. The Seymour, Indiana, native shot 45.5 percent from the field and scored 12 of her 19 points in the final frame, in which she posted a 4-4 clip from deep.

The second game of the week for the Trojans took place in Winona Lake, where they entered into overtime for the first time in the 2021-2022 season against Grace (10-7, 1-5 CL). This time James led all scorers with a season-high 24 points, while gathering eight rebounds alongside. Once again the senior standout stood out in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 points on 4-5 shooting from three-point land to help Taylor withstand a potential Lancer comeback.

James leads the team in points-per-game for the season, now averaging 14.5 while sitting in the top-five in the league with a 41.3-percent shooting percentage from three.

This week's award is James's fourth-career recognition, and the first weekly award for the Taylor women's basketball team in the 2021-2022 season.

Taylor athletes now boast 20 Crossroads League or MSFA Player-of-the-Week awards in the 2021-2022 athletic year.

James and the Trojans (9-9, 3-3 CL) are back in action on Saturday, January 15th, when they play host to the Saint Francis Cougars (9-5, 3-2 CL) inside Odle Arena at 1:00 pm.