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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Talent on display in Spokane regional

No player in the Spokane regional has a better résumé than Duke’s Elizabeth Williams, a three-time All-America selection who could be a top pick in next month’s WNBA draft.

Or she could go to medical school. Her future is that bright.

Last summer, Williams took an internship that allowed her to watch doctors, physicians’ assistants and nurses as they worked. Williams has a desire to go into medicine; she also has the smarts, carrying a 3.46 grade-point average at one of the most prestigious schools in the country.

This year she was named a Capital One Academic All-America and Atlantic Coast Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year. A two-time ACC Honor Roll selection, Williams is on track to graduate in May with a degree in psychology.

On the court, the 6-foot-3 senior center/forward leads the Blue Devils in scoring (14.7 ppg), rebounding (8.9 rpg) and blocked shots (84).

She also plays her best when it matters most: In four games against Top 25 opponents this year, Williams is averaging 15 points and 10 rebounds.

“Her shot-blocking is nothing anyone can take credit for except Elizabeth,” Duke coach Joanne McCallie said. “It’s not something she learned anywhere; it’s purely her aggression.”

If she chooses basketball, Williams could end up in Seattle, which owns the first pick in the WNBA draft and may draft a post player because of uncertainty surrounding the return of Lauren Jackson.

MARYLAND Brionna Jones 6-3

Despite her lack of size, Jones rose this year to become one of the dominant post players in the Big Ten Conference, averaging 12.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks. “She’s a force around the basket and has a pair of the best hands you’ll see,” Maryland coach Brenda Frese said. A starter in all 33 games this year, Jones is playing her best ball late in the season: She averaged 18 points and 13 boards during a three-game stretch in mid-February, and had a 22-point, 12-rebound effort in the Terrapins’ 75-57 first-round win over New Mexico State on Saturday. On Monday, she had 10 points and 10 boards to help the Terps beat Princeton 85-70 and advance to Spokane.

TENNESSEE Cierra Burdick 6-2

One of the most decorated players in recent Tennessee history, Burdick may be playing the best ball of her four-year career. An all-Southeastern Conference first-team pick, Burdick is coming off a 14-point, 10-rebound effort in a second-round win over Pittsburgh that carried the Lady Vols to the Spokane regional. Before that, she scored 24 against Mississippi State. Burdick averages 10.7 points and 2.5 assists, and also is one of the top rebounding guards in a country with 7.4 a game. “She’s smart and leading by example,” Tennessee coach Holly Warlick said. Cierra also is Academic All-American, carrying a 3.86 grade-point average.

GONZAGA Sunny Greinacher 6-4

The German native is one of the most versatile post players on the West Coast. She averages 13.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and almost two assists while averaging a team-high 30.1 minutes a game. In another anomaly for a forward, her 82.9 percent average from the foul line is second-best on the team. A three-time all-West Coast Conference pick, Greinacher has taken her game to a higher level in the postseason: After a 15-point, 12-rebound effort in the WCC title game against BYU, she had 19 points and eight boards in the NCAA opener against George Washington. After that win, Greinacher said previous postseason experience has “helped give me the experience to remain calm at the end …and really executing every little thing right.”