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Taylor Named Finalist for Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year
3/13/2023 1:12:00 PM | Women's Basketball
ATLANTA, Ga. — Duke women's basketball senior Celeste Taylor has been named one of four finalists for the 2023 Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced Monday afternoon.
Along with Taylor, the list of finalists includes Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Stanford's Cameron Brink. The Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award has been presented annually since 2018 to the most outstanding women's defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. The 2023 winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, at a press conference at Reunion Tower in Dallas during the Women's Final Four.
Crowned the 2023 ACC Women's Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor has been an instrumental part in helping the Duke women's basketball team boast one of the nation's top defenses throughout the season. She leads the squad in total steals (60) and steals per game (1.9) – both marks that check in at sixth in the ACC. The Blue Devils are currently ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.8) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (34.8) and have held each of their opponents below its season scoring average, including 16 to 50 points or less.
Taylor has tallied two-plus steals in 16 games this season, including eight games with three or more thefts and three games with at least five takeaways. Per HerHoopStats, the Valley Stream, N.Y., product is 13th nationally in defensive win shares with an average of 2.6 per 40 minutes while her player defensive rating of 73.1 is good for 29th in the country.
Making its 25th all-time appearance and the first under head coach Kara Lawson, the Duke women's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed in the Seattle 4 Region of the 2023 Division I NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils open tournament action vs. No. 14-seed Iona on Saturday, March 18 at 9:30 p.m., ET live on ESPN2.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
Along with Taylor, the list of finalists includes Brea Beal and Aliyah Boston of South Carolina and Stanford's Cameron Brink. The Naismith Women's Defensive Player of the Year award has been presented annually since 2018 to the most outstanding women's defensive basketball player who achieves tremendous on-court success. The 2023 winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, at a press conference at Reunion Tower in Dallas during the Women's Final Four.
Crowned the 2023 ACC Women's Defensive Player of the Year, Taylor has been an instrumental part in helping the Duke women's basketball team boast one of the nation's top defenses throughout the season. She leads the squad in total steals (60) and steals per game (1.9) – both marks that check in at sixth in the ACC. The Blue Devils are currently ranked second in the NCAA in scoring defense (50.8) and eighth in field goal percentage defense (34.8) and have held each of their opponents below its season scoring average, including 16 to 50 points or less.
Taylor has tallied two-plus steals in 16 games this season, including eight games with three or more thefts and three games with at least five takeaways. Per HerHoopStats, the Valley Stream, N.Y., product is 13th nationally in defensive win shares with an average of 2.6 per 40 minutes while her player defensive rating of 73.1 is good for 29th in the country.
Making its 25th all-time appearance and the first under head coach Kara Lawson, the Duke women's basketball team earned the No. 3 seed in the Seattle 4 Region of the 2023 Division I NCAA Tournament. The Blue Devils open tournament action vs. No. 14-seed Iona on Saturday, March 18 at 9:30 p.m., ET live on ESPN2.
To stay up to date with Duke women's basketball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook by searching "DukeWBB."
#GoDuke
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