Shaleyse Smallwood may just be a freshman, but her impact on the Northeastern women’s basketball team has been equal to that of an experienced veteran.

The guard from O’Bryant High School in Boston has already become one of America East’s top scoring threats as her 14.4 PPG ranks seventh overall in the league, and second on the team to Maralene Zwarich (17.2).

Smallwood had a game-high and season-high tying 21 points on Saturday against the University of Maine, as she went 8-of-14 from the field and 3-of-4 from three-point range. She also had a career-high six rebounds, while adding one steal and six assists.

She has been named The Northeastern News Player of the Week.

“I feel pretty good about the way I’ve been playing,” she said. “I think I can improve a little bit. The team has been supporting me and that’s good for me because it keeps me motivated.”

Against Boston University at Matthews Arena last Wednesday, Smallwood started her week off strong with another versatile performance. She had 15 points, five rebounds and three assists in 37 minutes of play.

For the week, Smallwood averaged 18.0 PPG and 5.5 RPG.

The Huskies stand at 7-8 (2-4 AE) despite Smallwood’s play in both games, as NU lost to BU, 74-69, and to Maine, 68-65.

“It’s been going pretty good for us so far,” Smallwood said. “We plan to bounce back and do better. I think if we keep on playing hard, we’ll be alright.”

Smallwood, who has already been honored as the America East Rookie of the Week six times, and the Huskies have a full February schedule ahead of them, including matchups against the University of Albany, Hartford University and a re-match with BU.

Smallwood had a high school career full of highlights, including a 53-point game and over 2,000 career points at O’Bryant. She helped O’Bryant to the Boston City League Championship in 2003-04.

— Jeff Powalisz