Local basketball players making impact at collegiate level

It's time to check on how some of our local players are doing in Division I women's college basketball:

• Candace Parker (Naperville Central Class of 2004) poured in 28 points to power Tennessee past LSU 61-55 in the Southeastern Conference Tournament title game last Sunday in Nashville, Tenn.

The redshirt junior is averaging 21.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.4 blocks and 2.2 steals in her final college season before she heads to the WNBA. She's shooting 55 percent from the field and 71 percent from the foul line for the 30-2 Vols.

There should be plenty of chances to watch Parker on TV in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

• Tiffany Hudson (Naperville Central '04) made her first start in seven games for Illinois State last Saturday in Normal and helped lead the Redbirds to an 87-72 victory that clinched a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title, their first since 1989.

The senior guard made three 3-pointers, scored 17 points, tied her career high for rebounds with 7 and totaled 3 assists.

Hudson has started 22 games this season, averaging 8.9 points, 3.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds while shooting 41 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free-throw line for the 23-6 Redbirds.

• Brittanie Taylor-James (Neuqua Valley '04) has started 17 games for North Carolina A&T, which won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference regular season with a 15-1 mark and took a 24-6 overall record into its MEAC tourney semifinal Thursday.

The junior forward is averaging 11.5 points and 4.7 rebounds. She's shooting 41 percent from the floor and 79 percent from the foul line.

• Gina Hugelier (York '03) was named to the All-Summit League Second Team for the second consecutive season for Western Illinois.

The senior guard averaged a team-high 11.5 points along with 5.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Westerwinds, who finished 14-15 overall and 12-6 in the league. She shot 40 percent from the field and 81 percent from the line.

• Bradley junior forward Kelly Krumwiede (Glenbard West '05) received honorable mention Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete recognition.

A business management and administration major with a 3.78 grade-point average, Krumwiede is averaging 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, which ranks ninth in the Missouri Valley Conference, and is shooting 48 percent from the field for the Braves, who took a 12-17 record into their game against Southern Illinois Thursday night in the first round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament in St. Charles, Mo.

• Kaitlin McInerney (Benet '05) started Northwestern's first seven games before suffering a torn right anterior cruciate ligament in a game Nov. 29. The sophomore forward was averaging 8.3 points and 5.7 rebounds, and shooting 64 percent from the field.

• Erica Carter (Naperville Central '06) is averaging 9.8 points and 3.3 rebounds for 11-18 Binghamton. The sophomore guard has made 45 3-pointers, while shooting 42 percent from the field and 64 percent from the line for the Bearcats, who went 9-7 in the America East.

• At Loyola, sophomore center Shannon Finnegan (Downers Grove South '06) averaged 4.6 points and 3.6 rebounds after missing the first 11 games with a broken bone in her right hand, while junior forward Jana Lucas (Timothy Christian '05) averaged 2.4 points and 1.9 rebounds for the 8-23 Ramblers.

• Lauren Grochowski (Naperville Central '06), a redshirt freshman forward for Coastal Carolina, is averaging 2.5 points in eight games for the 16-11 Chanticleers.

• Keilani Moeaki (Wheaton Warrenville South '07), a freshman forward for Brigham Young, averaged 3.6 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 43 percent from the field for the 13-16 Cougars.

• Lindsey Williams (Hinsdale Central '07), a freshman forward, averaged 8.6 points and a team-high 6.6 rebounds for 9-18 Yale. She shot 79 percent from the free-throw line.