Women’s Basketball

Junior guard Ashley Deary earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year honors and junior forward Nia Coffey was named first team all-Big Ten, the conference announced Monday.

Deary leads the nation in steals with 4.3 per game and her 128 steals this season set a new Big Ten record. She also broke Northwestern’s all-time steals record this season with 237 total.

Deary, who also received honorable mention all-Big Ten honors from the media, was named to the all-conference defensive team last year.

Coffey, named to the first team by both coaches and a media panel, averaged 19.7 points and 10 rebounds per game. Her 15 double-doubles this season tied for a conference best. This selection marks Coffey’s third consecutive season as an all-Big Ten first team choice.

Senior guard Maggie Lyon was an honorable mention selection from both coaches and the media, and senior forward Christen Johnson was a Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Honoree.

Minnesota guard Rachel Banham, who tied the NCAA record with 60 points in a double-overtime win over the Wildcats, was the conference player of the year.

NU opens the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis against Wisconsin on Wednesday.

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Twitter: @ckpaxton