INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Following the 2020-21 women's basketball regular season, the Horizon League announced its postseason honors Tuesday, with Cleveland State's Mariah White and Destiny Leo earning #HLWBB accolades. The 2021 #HLWBB Postseason honors are voted on by all 10 head coaches.
COMPLETE HORIZON LEAGUE RELEASE
White was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-League First Team and All-Defensive Team, while Leo was named the Sixth Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team.
MARIAH WHITE | G | SR | DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
White was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season after averaging a league-best 2.4 steals per game, and helping the Vikings to 165 total takeaways on the shortened season. White enters tournament play ranked eighth in the CSU Career Record Book with 209 total steals on her career.
So far this season, White has recorded two or more steals in all but three games, including a season-high of six against Mercyhurst in Cleveland State's lone non-league contest of the year.
In addition to her defensive efforts, White is also leading the Horizon League averaging 19.4 points per game this season, while ranking ninth with a .369 field goal percentage. White has posted double-digit points in 14 of 16 games this year, including six 20-point efforts, while she currently ranks 17th on the CSU All-Time Scoring List with 1,199 points.
White is the third Viking to be a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, while she is also the third Viking to be a three-time All-Defensive Team honoree and 14th Viking to earn a spot on the All-League First Team.
White's Previous Horizon League Honors: Defensive Player of the Year (19-20), All-League Second Team (19-20), All-Defensive Team (19-20, 18-19)
DESTINY LEO | G | FR | SIXTH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Leo was named the Horizon League Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 11.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 27.4 minutes per game off the bench. Leo is the second leading scorer for the Vikings this season, while she ranks 13thamong league players in scoring.
Coming off the bench in all but one contest during regular season play, Leo has converted a team-high 36 three-pointers – a mark that leads all #HLWBB freshmen. Leo has converted three or more three-pointers in eight games this season, shooting 41-percent from behind-the-arc.
So far this year, Leo has posted double-digit points eight times, including a pair of 20-point performances against Oakland (23 points) and Mercyhurst (20 points).
Leo is the first Viking to earn Sixth Player of the Year honors, while she is 12th Viking to earn a spot on the All-Freshman Team.