It has been quite a week for Florida State senior forward Natasha Howard.
Entering last night's game, she had already been added to the Wade Watch list as well as being selected for the Naismith Trophy Midseason Top 30 List and the Senior CLASS Award list. Last night, the 6-foot-3 post justified the accolades with a record-setting performance in FSU's rout of Syracuse, as described by Sean Farrell of SB Nation's Syracuse site Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician.
"She got the ball in the paint, scored, and did a very good job at playing at the rim," Hillsman said about Howard. "I have to give her a lot of credit."
Howard finished the game with a school-record 40 points and led the Seminoles to an 83-59 Seminole win in the first-ever matchup between these two programs. Syracuse hasn't allowed an opposing player to score 40 points, since UConn's Maya Moore did so in 2009...Of her team's first 22 points, Howard had 14 of them.
"She's an unbelievable player," Hillsman said. "She's had a great career at Florida State and will continue to have a great career at the next level."
Not mentioned in the article: Howard got that 40 points on 14-for-19 shooting from the field.
We've already mentioned Howard as a potential selection in the 2014 WNBA Draft earlier this season - and this game reflects both her strengths and weaknesses as a prospect - but huge performances like that are exactly the type general managers will find hard to ignore.
For more on the game, check out the recap at Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician (also cross-posted on our front page). For more on the draft, check out our 2014 WNBA Draft prospect watch storystream.