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Logan • Sophomore point guard Funda Nakkasoglu, the Mountain West Conference's leading scorer in the 2015-16 season, is leaving the Utah State women's basketball baseball team.
Nakkasoglu averaged 20.8 points per game last season, when the Aggies finish 14-17. She ranked 21st in the country in scoring and was named to the All-Mountain West first team.
In a statement released Thursday, Utah State coach Jerry Finkbeiner said, "Funda and I talked at great length over a two-day period. With the blessing of her parents, she has decided to pursue other basketball options. We wish Funda the very best. I look forward to the continued progress and evolution of our women's basketball program at Utah State."
Nakkasoglu is from Victoria, Australia.
"It has been a hard decision, weighing all the factors," she said. "In the end, I decided to test myself in a different setting. My thoughts will be with the team and all the good people I met here in Logan. It has been an invaluable experience."
Nakkasoglu's decision to leave Utah State comes five months after the men's basketball program suffered a similar loss, although the timing is different.
Last November, Utah State sophomore David Collette — one of the team's best players and its only low-post scorer — abruptly left the team, three days before the start of the season.
First-year coach Tim Duryea did not release Collette from his scholarship. Duryea's decision meant Collette was not eligible to receive a scholarship at another school until the second semester of the 2016-17 season. He transfered to the University of Utah, and after sitting out last season, he will become eligible to play in mid-December of this year.
Nakkasoglu is being released from her scholarship. It is not known where she will end up playing.
Utah State also announced another sophomore guard, Baylee Peck of Leander, Texas, is leaving the program. She played in 25 games over the past two years and averaged 2.3 points per game.
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