Feb. 18, 2012

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio State senior point guard Samantha Prahalis has been named one of eight finalists for the 13th Annual Nancy Lieberman Award, honoring the nation's top collegiate point guard in women's Division I basketball. This is the fourth consecutive year Prahalis has been named a finalist for the award.

Prahalis, also a Big Ten player of the year candidate, leads the Big Ten in scoring (21.8 ppg) in Big Ten games and is first in the Big Ten and eighth nationally in assists per game (6.7). The Commack, N.Y., native also is among the Big Ten leaders in assist-turnover ratio, FT percentage, 3FGs and steals. Prahalis has 12 20-point games this season, including two 30-point efforts and four 10+ assist games. She has been named the Big Ten player of the week three times, the most recent coming after scoring a career-high 34 points in the win over Wisconsin Feb. 6, including four 3FGs, five assists and four steals.

Prahalis ranks second on the Big Ten's all-time assists list (874), 18 away from the record, and fifth on Ohio State's career scoring list (1,891) - 22 away from tying Tracey Hall (1,912) for fourth.

The criteria for the award are the floor leadership, play-making and ball-handling skills that personified Hall of Famer, Nancy Lieberman during her career. Sportswriters from across the country have determined this final nominee list. They will select three finalists from this list and one winner at the beginning of April 2012. The announcement of the three finalists and one winner will be made during the Final Four Weekend (April 1-3, 2012). We will invite the winner to attend the award luncheon in Detroit, Michigan.

Here is the final nominee list (in alphabetical order):
PLAYER - SCHOOL
Skylar Diggins - Notre Dame
Angel Goodrich - Kansas
Chelsea Gray - Duke
Bria Hartley - Connecticut
Lindsey Moore - Nebraska
Samantha Prahalis - Ohio State
Odyssey Sims - Baylor
Haley Steed - BYU