Indira Kaljo Named C-USA Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year

Indira Kaljo Named C-USA Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year

Junior Guard Ranks 14th in NCAA in Three-Point Shooting

Indira Kaljo was named C-USA Newcomer of the Year

March 4, 2009

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane junior Indira Kaljo was named Conference USA Newcomer of the Year Wednesday as the 2009 women's basketball awards winners were announced. Kaljo, a transfer from Ventura College in California, has posted three-point shooting numbers on pace to set Tulane records in single-season and career three-point percentage.

The product of Sherman Oaks, California, ranks 14th in the NCAA in three-point percentage at .428 (62-of-145) and ranks third in C-USA (which has lower per game requirements for rankings). If she keeps her .428 percentage up, she would set Tulane's single-season record, breaking the .400 posted by Christy Thomaskutty in 1993-94. She would also qualify for Tulane's career mark, and move into the top spot, passing Britt Themann's .386 mark from 1999-2003.

Kaljo's 62 made threes are tied for fourth most in Tulane single-season history with Nikki Luckhurst (2007-08) and are seven back of third place (Luckhurst in 2005-06).Her 2.07 made three-pointers per game are third in C-USA.

She is third on the team in scoring this season at 9.2 points per game, and is second on Tulane in C-USA scoring at 10.5 per contest.

Kaljo connected on 11-of-15 (.733) from three-point range to be named Conference USA Rookie of the Week for Feb. 2-8. She averaged 22.5 PPG with 22 points against Marshall and 23 against East Carolina. Kaljo sparked a 14-0 Tulane run with 10 of the 14 points as Tulane seized control and never trailed again en route to a 58-45 win against Marshall. In Tulane's Pink Zone game against East Carolina in pink jerseys, she honored her mother Almadina (who passed away of breast cancer in 2001) with a 6-of-7 performance from three-point range and a game-winning three-pointer with 0.1 seconds left in Tulane's 72-69 win.

The other awards handed out by C-USA Wednesday included UTEP's Jarecia Hughes was the repeat winner as Player of the Year, while UTEP's Deitra Caldwell was named Freshman of the Year. Brittany Gilliam of SMU was named the Defensive Player of the Year, while Tanesha Washington of Southern Miss earned Sixth Player of the Year honors.

UCF's Joi Williams was named coach of the year after an eight-game turnaround from 3-13 in C-USA last season to 11-5 this year.

Tulane opens the C-USA Women's Basketball Championship at home at Fogelman Arena on Thursday against Tulsa. The Green Wave (17-13 overall, 9-7 C-USA) are the sixth seed in the tournament and take on the 11-seeded Golden Hurricane at 5:30 p.m. The winner advances to Friday's quarterfinals against third-seeded Southern Miss.

Tulane's Fogelman Arena is the tournament's host site for the second time in C-USA history. The Green Wave hosted the 1999 edition of the event, taking the tournament title and the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The 1999 squad remains the only team in C-USA history to win the tournament on its home floor.

Follow the Green Wave