Dec. 1, 2008

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Boston College's Mickel Picco and Miami's Shenise Johnson were named Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Basketball Player and Rookie of the Week for the week ending Nov. 30. Picco led the Eagles to two victories at the Caribbean Challenge in Cancun, Mexico, including an upset win over No. 22 TCU. Johnson posted a pair of double-double performances last week en route to the Canes earning their fourth UM Thanksgiving Tournament title.

Picco averaged 22.5 points per game in the pair of victories in Cancun last week. The junior hit 16-of-19 from the free throw line, which was the key in both wins. In the upset victory over the No. 22 Horned Frogs, Picco had six points in the first seven minutes of the game to assist the Eagles to a 20-0 start. She finished the game shooting 6-for-6 from the free throw line to seal the victory. The TCU game was the first victory for BC over a ranked team since the 2005-06 season, when BC beat Ohio State and Stanford.

On Friday against James Madison, Picco hit a key three-pointer at 4:27 to play to give the Eagles the lead. She scored 12 of her eventual 22 points in the final five minutes, including four straight after JMU received a technical foul. The guard shot 7-for-9 from the foul line in the final minutes to seal the victory. Picco also extended her three-point scoring streak to 13 games, dating back to last season. Picco has hit a three-pointer in every game this season and notched double-figures in all six games played. The two wins gave BC a 5-1 record to open the season.

Johnson continued her high level of play as the guard led the Hurricanes to a perfect 3-0 week. With two double-doubles on the week, the newcomer has three double-doubles on the season and has more career double-doubles than anyone currently on the Miami roster. The victories over Austin Peay and Santa Clara came in the UM Thanksgiving Tournament, where Johnson was named the Tournament MVP. Johnson has scored in double-digits in each of her six collegiate games played.

ACC action continues this evening as Miami welcomes Florida A&M for the league's lone game of the night. Tip time for the non-conference contest is at 6 p.m. at the Comcast Center.