NIU women’s basketball: A’Jah Davis named to all-MAC first team

DeKalb native and NIU senior A’Jah Davis was named to the first team of the Mid-American Conference first team on Tuesday, with Chelby Koker and Janae Poisson also earning honors from the league.

Davis earned her second consecutive All-MAC First Team selection after leading NIU with 16.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game which put her third in the nation. She was also second in the league in field goal percentage at 54.5 percent. The senior set two NIU records this season. Davis eclipsed Tammy Hinchee’s record of 50 career double-doubles with 52. She also broke her own single-season record of 349 rebounds set last season with 351 this year. Davis recorded her 1,000th career rebound last Saturday, becoming the sixth Huskie to reach that milestone. She also scored her 1,000th career point this season in a 20-point, 21-rebound double-double at Eastern Illinois on Dec. 3. Davis was named MAC Player of the Week twice this season.

“A’Jah has made herself into one of the most dominant rebounders in the country,” NIU coach Lisa Carlsen said. “She’s been the dominant post player in the league for the last two seasons and has set herself apart for her play in the paint at both ends of the floor.”

Poisson is just the second player in MAC women’s basketball history to earn two Sixth Player of the Year awards since the honor was introduced in 2003. Taylor Johnson of Central Michigan won it in 2011 and 2014. Poisson averaged 10.9 points per game off the bench this season with 16 double-digit scoring efforts. She is top-five in the league with 2.38 3-pointers per game and a 35.8 3-point percentage.

Poisson scored her 1,000th career point in NIU’s 100-61 win over Western Illinois on Nov. 17, setting career-highs with nine three-pointers and 32 points. She is one of four players in NIU history with at least 250 career three-pointers. This is Poisson’s fourth postseason MAC honor in her career with an All-Freshman team selection in 2017 and an Honorable Mention All-MAC nod last season.

“Janae has proven to be a quality scorer off the bench in her career and one of the top three-point shooters in the MAC,” Carlsen said. “I couldn’t be prouder of her to be recognized by the rest of league for her contributions to our team.”

Koker has been named to a postseason All-MAC team for the third straight season. She is second on the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game and second in the league in three-point percentage at 40.6 percent. 

NIU takes on Kent State in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 8 at approximately 12:30 PM CT at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and locally on WDKB 94-9 FM and the Varsity Network app.