From Carnegie Mellon University Athletics

Carnegie Mellon University 2017 graduate Lisa Murphy will continue her basketball career in Denmark where she signed a professional contract with Lemvig Basket of the Dameligaen, the top Danish league for women. Murphy concluded her Tartan career as the first player in team history to be named an All-American by both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and D3hoops.com, a feat she accomplished in back-to-back seasons.

Murphy's honors run deep as she finished her senior campaign as the Jostens Trophy winner and D3hoops.com Great Lakes Player of the Year. She earned those honors after shooting an astounding 78.0% from the floor while averaging 24.3 points and 13.5 rebounds a game. It was the third time Murphy averaged more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for a season while her shooting percentage topped her previous NCAA Division III record of 75.2% set her junior year.

"I am very grateful to continue to play the sport I love with Lemvig Basket," said Murphy. "I can't wait to be in Denmark and begin working with the team. I want to do everything I can to help Lemvig compete to win titles and be one of the best teams in the league."

Murphy led the Tartans to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship as the MVP of the tournament in 2017 after pushing the Tartans to two victories during the 2016 NCAA championship where Carnegie Mellon finished its historic run in the round of 16.

During the NCAA tournament against three top 15 teams, Murphy averaged 21.7 points and seven rebounds while shooting 75% from the floor and 77.3% from the free throw line. En route to the ECAC Championship, Murphy scored 22.3 points per game, grabbed 16.7 rebounds a game, dished out 10 assists, and blocked eight shots.

Murphy's agent, Matthew C. Krejci, Esq., of MK Sports and Entertainment LLC (Dublin, OH) said, "Lisa could have played NCAA Division I ball. She made academics her top priority coming out of high school and ended up starring for a top university. I think she is going to surprise a lot of people overseas with her play. Lisa attended a showcase in Germany this past month and was named MVP of the event. Denmark is a quality league and I am confident she will do very well in Lemvig."

Murphy's leadership led the Tartans to a top 10 national ranking in 2017, the highest in program history. She left Carnegie Mellon as the all-time leader in points scored (2,306), rebounds (1,180), and blocks (232), and holds the NCAA All-Division record for season field-goal percentage (.780) and career field-goal percentage (.712).

"This is an exciting opportunity for Lisa," said Carnegie Mellon head coach Jacquie Hullah. "All of her hard work and dedication to developing her game has her well prepared to excel at the next level. Lisa's impact both on and off the court have raised the bar for the expectations of our program. I have no doubt that her future teammates and coaches will love having her in their organization as much as we have loved having her at Carnegie Mellon University."

Rene Tolderlund Jakobsen, representative of Lemvig Basket, echoed Hullah's statement, "We are excited to add Lisa Murphy to our team for the 17-18 season. She fits very well into our team and the way our program is built. We feel very confident with Lisa on our team, and we are sure she can help us defend our cup title and reach new goals in the coming season. Lisa is used to leading, but still works as a team player, and we look forward to having those skills on our team. Besides all of her talents on the court, Lisa will be a great role model for our young players and the whole community around Lemvig Basket."

Notes:

- Lisa Murphy is the first women's basketball player in Carnegie Mellon history to play professionally overseas.

- Since 2000, Murphy becomes the 10th women's basketball player from the UAA to play professionally overseas.

- Four CMU men's players played professionally outside the United States (Kevin Byrne '96, Eliot Goren '05, Nate Maurer '06, and Greg Gonzalez '08); Matthew Pettit '11 continued his playing career as well, playing for the BK Miners club team in Norway.

- Murphy became the eighth player in NCAA Division III women's basketball history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 200 blocks for a career.

- Murphy is from McLean, Va., and graduated with a degree in psychology.