March 04--Notre Dame junior guard Jewell Loyd of Niles West was named Wednesday as Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year.
Loyd, who had been the Big East freshman of the year in 2013, leads the ACC this season in scoring (20.7 points per game) and is fourth in field-goal percentage (83.6).
Rising to the biggest occasions, she has averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.9 steals in nine games against Top 25 teams this season.
A panel of the ACC coaches, media members, media relations directors and other national and regional basketball experts voted for the award.
Loyd, from Lincolnwood, and the No. 2 Irish (28-2) take a 14-game win streak and the top seed into this week's ACC tournament in Greensboro, N.C. Notre Dame has a double bye into Friday's quarterfinals.
