BOSTON -- Junior guards
A'lece Mark and
Amencie Mercier have been named captains for the 2013-14 Northeastern women's basketball team, as announced by head coach Daynia La-Force.
"Leadership has been the key to our success," said La-Force. "We value having great leaders and recruiting young women who want to lead. Being a captain comes with a high level of responsibility and maturity."
Mark and Mercier became fixtures in the Northeastern starting five last season, helping the Huskies to their highest conference finish since joining the Colonial Athletic Conference in 2005. Both closed out the 2012-13 season ranked among the top assist leaders in the CAA, with Mark (3.36 apg) finishing third and Mercier (3.4 apg) placing fifth. Both also placed top-10 in steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. Combined, the pair posted 24 double-digit scoring games over their first two seasons, both setting career-highs during their sophomore campaigns. Both guards have played in all 60 games since they arrived on Huntington Avenue two years ago.
"A'lece and Amencie have earned this opportunity. They have emerged as leaders of high character, excellent students, and talented basketball players," said La-Force.
Mark, a 5-foot-7 Springfield, Mass., native, cracked the league's top-30 scorers midway through her sophomore season and her 9.3 points per game placed her 28th in the conference. Last year, the junior also finished fifth in 3-point field goal percentage (37.8 percent) and 15th from the charity stripe (72.4 percent).
"I will get the chance to help my team become successful on and off the court," said Mark. "I owe this honor to my teammates and coaches. If it wasn't for them believing in me, I would never have gotten this opportunity."
A Pierrefonds, Quebec native, Mercier closed out her 2012 campaign averaging 10.2 points per game in her last five starts and finished with three straight games in double figures. The 5-foot-7 junior recorded the team's highest single-game steals total with seven versus Temple on Nov. 17, which also marked a career best.
"It is such a privilege and I'm really honored to have earned this role [as team captain]," said Mercier. "Our coach believes I am able to do a great job as a player and lead this team. I am so honored."
The Huskies get their first taste of action when they face city rival Boston University on Friday, Nov. 8, before hosting Rutgers on Nov. 13.
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