March 29, 2017
By Leigh Torbin
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – All-America accolades continue to roll in for Notre Dame’s Brianna Turner. On Wednesday, the junior forward from Pearland, Texas, earned one of 10 spots on the USBWA’s All-America team. Also a USBWA All-America pick in 2015-16, Turner’s selection for 2016-17 makes her the fourth two-time USBWA All-America honoree in Irish lore, joining Skylar Diggins (2012 and 2013), Jewell Loyd (2014 and 2015) and Ruth Riley (2000 and 2001).
Turner is one of the country’s top players at both ends of the court, leading the ACC in both field goal percentage (.619) and blocked shots (86). Turner stands eighth nationally in shooting percentage and, with just a handful of games left to be played, seems destined to rank in the top 10 for the third consecutive year. The two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, Turner stands ninth in league history in career blocked shots (263) and second at Notre Dame behind only Ruth Riley’s 370. Turner’s 1,456 points stand 16th in school history with one season still left to play. She averaged 15.3 points per game this season and led Notre Dame at 7.1 rebounds per game.
Turner scored in double figures in 29 of her 35 games played this year, including six efforts of 20-plus points. Her career high of 31 came in Notre Dame’s Feb. 19 win at No. 21 Syracuse before a women’s record crowd at the Carrier Dome. Turner recorded seven double-doubles this season with four of the seven coming against ranked teams (Washington, UConn, DePaul and Duke).
Turner has already been named recently to the espnW and Associated Press All-America squads along with this honor from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She is one of three Irish players, joining Lindsay Allen and Arike Ogunbowale, named to the WBCA’s all-region team, making her eligible for All-America honors from the sport’s coaches association. Those teams have not yet been announced.
Behind Turner, the Irish finished at 33-4 on the season, claiming the ACC regular season and tournament championships before advancing to their sixth Elite Eight in seven years.
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Leigh Torbin, athletics communications associate director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2013 and coordinates all media efforts for Notre Dame’s women’s basketball and men’s golf teams. A native of Framingham, Massachusetts, Torbin graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 1998 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He has previously worked full-time on the athletic communications staffs at Vanderbilt, Florida, Connecticut and UCF.