Tamika Dudley named Northeast Conference Player of the Year; Kim Mac Millan named second team All-NEC

Tamika Dudley receives the Player-of-the-Year award from NEC communications assistant Donna Poyant

Forward Tamika Dudley (Woodbridge, VA) became the first player for Long Island to be named Northeast Conference Player of the Year and fellow junior Kim Mac Millan (Toms River, NJ) was selected second team All-NEC.

The two players that have been the keystones for the Blackbirds’ success the past three seasons helped the squad conclude the regular season 13-5 in the NEC for a school-best second-place finish. Dudley and Mac Millan each were named to the all-rookie squad in 2000 as LIU advanced to the conference semifinals and both made the all-conference squad last season as the Blackbirds clinched their first NEC championship.

Dudley has competed all season like a player on a mission. One of the NEC’s most aggressive and determined players, the 5-9 power forward closed the regular season with a team-best 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds per contest while shooting 55 percent from the floor. She has recorded nine double-doubles this season and has scored in double figures 21 times.

Kim Mac Millan (left) and Tamika Dudley with their Northeast Conference Awards

Dudley earned a pair of NEC Player-of-the-Week honors on January 14 and February 11. She combined for 36 points and 21 rebounds against St. Francis (NY) and Monmouth to win her first award and closed with 61 points and 32 rebounds vs. Fairleigh Dickinson, Quinnipiac and St. Francis (PA) for her second honor.

Against St. Francis (NY) on January 7, Dudley became the 12th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. She is LIU’s top 10 list in points, free throws, assists and rebounds.

Mac Millan is one of the NEC’s toughest competitors and one of the top shooting guards in the nation. She finished the regular season second for the Blackbirds with 13.5 points per contest and nailed a team-best 68 three-pointers. Mac Millan also grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game and shot 88 percent (43-of-49) from the floor.

The 5-7 standout broke the NCAA Division I record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer by connecting in her 54th straight contest December 29 against Buffalo. The streak reached 60 before it was snapped January 24 against Sacred Heart. Mac Millan has hit a school-record 279 career 3-pointers and has connected in 82 of her 85 career outings.

Mac Millan, the 2000 NEC Rookie of the Year, also is LIU’s all-time leading scorer. She shattered the record January 5 against Sacred Heart and stands at 1,507 points.

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