Gemma Selected as WBCA Division II All-America; Also Cited by Division II Conference Commissioners Association
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Bentley University junior forward Jen Gemma (Milton, Mass./Fontbonne Academy), who has led the Falcons into the Elite Eight, has been selected to the ten-player 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II All-America team, the Women's Basketball Coaches Association announced tonight at the Elite Eight Banquet at the District.
Gemma was also selected as a second team All-America by the Division II Conference Commissioners' Association.
"I'm extremely thrilled that Jen has been selected as an All-America," said Women's Basketball Hall of Fame coach Barbara Stevens, who has won 799 games during her 30 years with the Falcons. "The impact she's had on our team's success all season has been amazing."
The six-footer, who was previously selected as the Northeast-10 Conference and D2CCA East Region Player of the Year, enters the Elite Eight with a conference-best 19.9 scoring average and a team-high 9.4 rebounds a game. Gemma, a key contributor off the bench on Bentley's 2014 national championship team, plays 32 minutes a game and also leads the Falcons in field goals (235), free throws (160-202), blocks (38) and double-doubles (14).
Gemma's 658 points this season has broken the school of 640 set by Keri Flynn 13 years ago, her 310 rebounds is the most by a Falcon since 2003 and she's only the fifth player in program history to attempt at least 200 free throws in a season. She's climbed to 12th on Bentley's all-time scoring list with her 1,517 the most ever by a Falcon player prior to her senior season.
"I'm sure that Jen will want to share this award with her teammates, but this is a crowning achievement for her three years of hard work and dedication," praised Stevens.
"The 10 members of the 2016 WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches' All-America Team are well deserving of this recognition, and the WBCA congratulates them for their accomplishments this season," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "These young women have worked to elevate themselves and their teams to an elite level and through their exceptional talents on the basketball court, they have lifted the women's game."
Bentley, 28-5 overall, captured the Northeast-10's Northeast Division, defeated American International in the NE-10 championship game and rallied in the second half to best NYIT in the NCAA East Regional final. The Falcons, an Elite Eight team for the fourth time in six years, will face 28-2 Virginia Union Tuesday at 3:30 pm ET in a national quarterfinal game.