BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo women's basketball team award winners for 2004-05 were announced at UB's annual Athletic Awards Banquet, held at The Millennium Hotel on Tuesday, May 3. Freshman Heather Turner (West Seneca, NY/Mount Mercy Academy) walked away with the Top Newcomer and Most Outstanding Player awards, while senior Allison Bennett (Springfield, OH/Kenton Ridge) received the Coaches' Award and senior Talia Merlino (Newtown, PA/Notre Dame (NJ) HS) was named Most Improved, both for the second straight year.

Heather Turner

Turner was named 2004-05 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year and to the MAC All-Freshman Team after an excellent rookie campaign during which she averaged team highs of 11.1 points (19th in the MAC) and 7.7 rebounds (sixth in the MAC) in 28 games. Turner set a school single-season record with a 57.1 field goal shooting percentage (128-for-224), and her 11.1 points per game are the most by a UB freshman since the 1988-89 season. Turner scored in double figures 16 times and had a team-high six double-doubles on the year. She played in all 28 games during her rookie campaign, starting 24 and averaging 32.8 minutes played per game.

Allison Bennett

Bennett received the Coaches' Award for the second straight year. She pushed her streak of consecutive games started to 84 by starting all 28 games during the 2004-05 season, the only player to do so. She appeared in all 112 games during her four-year career. A team co-captain, Bennett averaged 8.3 points (third highest on the team), 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game. She recorded her first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Niagara on December 11 and scored a career-high 21 points in a win over Miami (OH) on January 12. Bennett finishes her career tied for fourth all-time in career games played and 11th all-time in both career three-pointers (52) and career assists (197).

Talia Merlino

Merlino appeared in 24 games, starting seven, during the 2004-05 season. A team co-captain, she averaged 1.7 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. She scored a career-high 13 points, all in the second half, and tied her career high with four three-pointers at Akron on January 19. Merlino ended her four-year career with 146 points, 29 three-pointers, 77 rebounds and 85 assists.