ADD US ON

07-22-09 "You're Not in Kansas Anymore"

Wilson is happy to be a Mustang .

DETROIT, MI--Women’s basketball added depth and talent to their roster this past weekend when they received another transfer commitment. Labette Community College (KS) transfer Keara Wilson joins fellow JUCO transfer Santrea Bush as the two Mustangs coming in with previous college experience.

Wilson, a 5’9” forward with four years varsity experience, is heading home to Michigan after one year in Kansas. Before her out-of-state trip, Wilson played her high school ball locally at Charlotte Forten Academy. She quickly earned a reputation of a hardworking student-athlete at CFA with her dedication to the court and classroom. For her efforts, Wilson was named student-athlete of the year twice (top academic student-athlete), and achieved the peak of high school success when she was named class valedictorian.

Coach Hitchcock on Wilson: Keara is a multidimensional forward with the ability to play inside and outside.  She won a district championship her senior year and was her teams leading scorer along with being the valedictorian of her senior class of 2008 with a 3.8 GPA. Keara’s work ethic and character will mesh well with the other players of the 2009 recruiting class and we are excited to have the opportunity to coach such a well-rounded student-athlete.

06-26-09 Missionary Joins Mustang Women's Basketball

Santrea Bush Signs with Mustangs.

DETROIT, MI--Head women’s basketball coach Tony Hitchcock has been busy this offseason recruiting quality student-athletes for his 2009-2010 squad. He has been successful thus far and continued the trend on Friday when he signed Muskegon Community College transfer Santrea Bush.

Bush, a 5’6” junior college transfer, will make Marygrove her home for the next two years. Before heading to junior college, Bush was successful on and off the court for Orchard View High School (Muskegon County). She was prominent member in her community as she served as class president and a member of the National Honor Society. On the court, Bush was awarded All-Conference second team, All-Area and Honorable Mention. The hardworking team captain also led her team to a district championship her junior year.

Her four years of standout work in the classroom and on the court was only the tip of the iceberg for Bush. She is well-known for giving back and most recently completed a missionary trip in Puebla Puebla, Mexico. Her experience and leadership will be a valuable asset for the Mustangs for years to come.

Coach Hitchcock on Bush: Santrea is a highly skilled player with an above average basketball IQ. She will make an impact in the paint with some much needed scoring and rebounding. Above all else, Santrea is a remarkable young lady that gives to others. She is very involved in volunteer work and just finished a stint in Mexico on a missionary trip. We are excited to have Santrea in our program and a part of the Mustang family.

04-15-09 Trio of Mustangs Named A.I.I. All-Conference

DETROIT, MI--Freshman Kiara Kelley and sophomores Ebony Jackson and Keyandra Linebarger were recently named to the 2009 Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) All-Conference Team. The trio of Lady Mustangs starters were honored by the A.I.I. for their stellar seasons on the court.

Kelley, a versatile guard from Cass Tech, grew more comfortable with the college game as the season progressed. During a mid-January home game against Kuyper College, Kelley came out of her freshman shell with a then career-high 18 points. After her breakout game, Kelley averaged 13.6 points per game over the last eight games of the season. Kelley is the first freshman to win an All-Conference award in Lady Mustangs history.

Jackson, a sophomore standout from Ferndale High, transformed her game more than any other Mustang this season. Over the course of a 24 game season, Jackson averaged 5.5 points per game the first 12 games and 15.9 the final 12 of the campaign. It was a story of role-player turned go-to scorer as Jackson led the Mustangs the entire second half of the season.  For her efforts, Jackson was also named United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and A.I.I. Player of the Week in February.

Linebarger, the tiny player with a big heart from Southeastern High, spent the season knifing into the opposition with her lightning quick first step. The 5’3” point guard scored a team-high 22 points on two separate occasions while leading the Mustangs in field goal percentage (44%). The sophomore averaged three rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals per game for the Mustangs as well.

04-08-09 Spartan to Mustang: De'Nooijer Signs with WBB

New Mustang Mariah De'Nooijer shown with parents during signing.

DETROIT, MI--Women’s Basketball has added another prized recruit to the 2009 class. Warren Fitzgerald’s Mariah De’Nooijer signed her letter of intent on Tuesday inside the conference room at Fitzgerald High School. The signing will forever hold a place in Warren Fitzgerald women’s basketball history as De’Nooijer will become the first girl’s basketball player to play in college.

A two year captain, the 5’9” De’Nooijer helped lead her team to back-to-back district titles during her junior and senior campaigns. Over the course of a successful high school career, she earned a reputation as a hard-nosed defender that never backed down from a challenge. Her defensive presence was a welcome addition for the Fitzgerald Spartans in the highly competitive MAC Silver conference. For her efforts, De’Nooijer was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year for the Spartans.

Women’s Basketball Head Coach Tony Hitchcock’s take on De’Nooijer: “Mariah is a special player. She is a tough kid that will be a tremendous asset to our program. It’s not solely her defensive ability that is liked by many; it is her willingness to do all the little things that win games. Her offense can be overshadowed at times because of her tenacious defense, but I expect Mariah to be a contributor on both ends of the floor.”

03-30-09 Three More Join Impressive Recruiting Class

DETROIT, MI--Marygrove College Women’s Basketball signed three additional student-athletes to an already impressive recruiting class on Saturday. Joining the Mustangs for the 2009-2010 season are: Keyanni Belle (Ecorse High), Angelina Jacobs (Cal Univ.-Penn.), and Jennifer Lee (Wayne County Community College District - WCCD).

Belle (pictured left), a 5’6” combo-guard from Ecorse High was named team MVP her sophomore through senior seasons, as well as defensive MVP twice, and an All-Mega Conference selection. Belle is currently listed as #51 on the Michigan Girls Basketball Report (MGBR) top 100.

Jacobs (pictured middle) joins the Mustangs after playing one year of NCAA Division II ball at California University-Pennsylvania. Originally from Crockett High, the 6’ forward has racked up accolades such as: All-League, All-Conference, and team MVP.

Lee (pictured right) is a 6’1” forward that stepped away from basketball for a few years. After playing a season at WCCD, Lee decided to transfer to the University of Detroit-Mercy where she became involved with the pep band. The multi-talented Lee returns to the court happy to be a Mustang.

“Keyanni Belle is a very athletic combo-guard that displays an explosive first step. Her speed and agility will be beneficial to our program from day one. Angelica Jacobs is one of the best post players to come out of the Detroit area in four years. I expect big things out of Angelina over the next three seasons at Marygrove. Jennifer Lee is a solid post player with untapped potential. Her work ethic will drive us in practice and will make everyone better,” said Women’s Basketball Coach Tony Hitchcock of his recruits.

03-30-09 Duo from GR Ottawa Hills Sign with Mustangs

DETROIT, MI--Arielle Edwards and Dominique Gordon, both of Grand Rapids Ottawa Hills High School, signed Letters of Intent on Saturday, March 28. The two Ottawa Hills standouts will be heading east to play women’s basketball for the Mustangs this fall.

Edwards (left), a 5’8” guard, is a multi-talented forward with exceptional athletic ability. Edwards, winner of Ottawa Hills team MVP and Coach’s award, is a fierce defender that works hard every play. She averaged 12.5 PPG her senior year.

Gordon (right), 5’5” guard, tabbed All-City (Grand Rapids) in 2007-2008, was recently named Ottawa-Kent Gold All-Conference for the 2008-09 season. She topped the 20 point mark several times on the season, including a 27 point effort against South Christian, on her way to a 13.5 PPG average this season. Gordon is also a McDonald’s Scholar-Athlete.

“Coming from a powerful conference, both girls will bring a lot to our program for the next four years. Dominique is a scrappy point guard that will see major minutes as a freshman. Arielle is an outstanding athlete. Her defensive prowess will fit well within our scheme,” said Women’s Coach Tony Hitchcock of the two Ottawa Hills recruits.

02-18-09 WBB Signs Marks from Renaissance

DETROIT, MI--The Marygrove Mustang women's basketball staff recently announced the signing of Kiera Marks, left, (Renaissance High School) to play basketball next season for the Mustangs.

Marks, shown on the left with her family and women's basketball coaching staff, is a 5’10” swing player who can play three different positions, has been a two year starter and lettered three times during her career at Renaissance. Marks also led her team to two-straight regional finals, while leading her team in rebounding and FG% the last two seasons. 

02-17-09 Mustangs Finish Strong, Beat Tigers 76-57

GRAND RAPIDS , MI--Grace Bible College played host to the Mustangs on Tuesday night hoping for a season split between the teams. After battling a slow start, the Mustangs would comeback and ensure a sweep of the season series (2-0) with a 76-57 victory.

The Mustangs got off to a cold start from the floor and quickly fell behind the host Tigers in the early going. The Mustangs would quickly climb back in signature fashion behind pressure defense. Ebony Jackson and Kiara Kelley forced numerous Tiger turnovers to spark the Mustang comeback trail. The multiple Tiger turnovers, combined with Mustang transition baskets, brought the score even at halftime (31-31). The Mustangs gladly took the tie going into the break, especially after being outshot 54% to 38% in the first half.

The script was flipped on the Tigers when the Mustangs came out of the locker room to start the second half of play. A defensive fury would swarm the Tigers and eventually force them into 28 turnovers on the game. The Mustangs would rally behind the turnovers and outscore the Tigers 45-26 in the second half as they cruised to a 76-57 win.

Keyandra “Kee Kee” Linebarger (pictured) had a team-high 22 points. Linebarger also added three rebounds, assists and steals on the evening. Ebony Jackson followed Kee Kee  in the scoring column and dropped in 21 points. The 21 points scored by Jackson was her third 20 point game in a row. Kiara Kelley was the only other Mustang in double-figures with 12 points.

The Mustangs round out their 2008-09 campaign with a road tilt Saturday against Indiana University-Northwest. The Redhawks will present a challenge down low for the Mustangs in their final game of the year.

02-11-09 Jackson named USCAA & AII Player of the Week

DETROIT, MI--Ebony Jackson is the USCAA & NAIA’s Association of Independent Institutions (AII) Female Athlete of the Week, for the week ending February 8, 2009. Jackson, a 5’10 sophomore forward from Detroit, helped the Mustangs to two road victories this past week over Kuyper College and Andrews University. Jackson scored 20 points and nine rebounds in a 74-56 win over Kuyper, and then followed it up with 20 points and eight boards in an 83-35 victory over Andrews. The sophomore, who was a role player at the beginning of the season, is now the number one scoring option for the Mustangs. [AII Release] [USCAA Release]

02-02-09 Mustangs Notch Back-To-Back Wins

GRAND RAPIDS, MI--The Lady Mustangs, winners in four of their last five contests, picked up their second winning streak of the 2008-09 season on Monday night when they defeated Kuyper College 74-56. The Mustangs defeated Kuyper earlier this season by a 28 point margin (60-32) at home. The win marks two in a row for the Mustangs adding to the win over Grace Bible on Saturday.

The Mustangs started the game on fire and jumped out to an early lead. The hot Mustang start enabled the team to score 25 points in the first five minutes of action. Kuyper, a team who plays hard and never gives up, fought through the early Mustang barrage of buckets and battled the entire half. The Mustangs would take a comfortable 19 point lead into the halftime break, 44-25. Ebony Jackson and Kiara Kelley caught fire in the first half by scoring 14 and 11 respectively.

The never-say-die Cougars attacked the second half and threw the Mustangs off guard. The Cougars, climbed back into the game behind hot shooting from Caitlyn Ouwinga and erased the large Mustang lead to single-digits. The balanced Mustangs would prove to be too much as the Cougars could not figure out who to stop late in the game.

Freshman Danielle Saddler turned away three Cougar shots in the game, two in the second half during a pivotal point in the game. The Mustangs turned Saddler’s blocks into transition buckets to swell their lead back to double-digits. Coach Hitchcock and the Mustangs never looked back from there as they went on to win 74-56.

Every Mustang got their name in the scoring column, including four Mustangs who reached double-digits. Ebony Jackson led the way once again with 20 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a pair of blocks and steals. Kiara Kelley followed Ebony with 18 and Jacquis Bullock added 17. Keyandra Linebarger had another well-rounded game with 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Danielle Saddler added 12 rebounds and 3 blocks.

01-31-09 Mustangs Drop Tigers by 11

DETROIT, MI--The Mustangs welcomed a young, struggling Grace Bible College squad to Detroit on Saturday. With no seniors on a 3-16 team, the Mustangs could be described as young and struggling as well. The meeting would mark the first of the year between the teams. The Mustangs would not have their best game of the season, but it was still good enough for a 66-55 home victory.

The Mustangs jumped on top early behind pressure defense that led to Tiger turnovers. The turnovers led to transition buckets and allowed the Mustangs to go up by as many as seven early. However, the young Tigers clawed their way back behind a trifecta of Angela Byrne 3-pointers. Keyandra Linebarger dished out two late assists on a pair of Kaira Kelley 3-pointers as the Mustangs closed the half on a 13-4 run. The Mustangs would take a 37-22 lead into the break after the late outburst.

The second half started with a relaxed Mustang effort that quickly forced Coach Hitchcock into a timeout. After the break in the action, the Mustangs rallied for eight-straight points behind a balanced effort. The pesky Tigers would not go away easily as they continued down their comeback trail. Angela Byrne would keep the Tigers close with two more 3-pointers late in the game. The Tigers would bring the score to within eight points with 4:32 to play.

The Mustangs would closeout the game on a solid note by connecting on their free throws down the stretch and by coming up with huge stops on defense. The team would notch their second win in three games, and their fourth overall as they topped the Tigers 66-55.

All five Mustang starters would reach double-figures in the win. The starters combined for 62 of the Mustangs 66 points. Kiara Kelly (pictured) and Ebony Jackson led the way with 15 apiece, Danielle Saddler added 12, and guards Jacquis Bullock and Keyandra Linebarger each dropped in 10.

Jacquis Bullock , Jr, G