NEWARK, N.J. (March 14, 2016) - Junior guard Maria Simmons of the Rutgers University-Newark women's basketball team was named third-team All-Atlantic Region by D3hoops.com, it was announced Monday afternoon.

Simmons was a second-team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) selection and a two-time conference Player of the Week. She led the Scarlet Raiders in scoring, putting in 19.7 per game, also pacing the squad in assists (6.5 per game) and steals (91). She finished the year second on the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.9 per outing.

Simmons totaled 493 points on just 393 field-goal attempts, shooting 46.6 percent from the field which was second in the NJAC. She led the league in assists, assists per game, steals and steals per game, and was third in scoring and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.4-to-1).

The Irvington native was equally impressive on the national level, ranking fifth in the country in assists per game, seventh in total assists and 13th in steals per game.

Simmons had 20-plus points in 12 games, had five or more assists in 18 and had 21 outings with five or more rebounds which speaks to her incredible all-around impact in each of R-N's 25 games this year. The junior led the Raiders in assists 23 times, in scoring 13 times and rebounding seven times, finishing the year with four double-doubles and one triple-double which came on November 30 against SUNY Purcase (17 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists).

The current-junior will enter her senior year in Newark with 993 points, 414 rebounds, 407 assists and 291 steals.

A total of six NJAC players were on the three All-Atlantic teams, with senior Kamari Talley from Rutgers University-Camden earning co-Player of the year honors. Three of the five second-team slots were league players as well.