SIAC releases 2018-19 women’s basketball all-conference honors

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference announced its annual women’s basketball awards to cap the 2018-19 season. This year’s all-conference teams, which features fifteen student-athletes, were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.

Benedict forward, Ay’Anna Bey, headlines the 2019 SIAC Women’s Basketball All- Conference team as the 2019 SIAC Player of the Year.

Alexis Carter of Tuskegee was tabbed as this year’s Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year while Reagan Jackson of Clark Atlanta was selected as Freshman of the Year.
James Rice of Benedict was selected as the 2019 SIAC Coach of the Year.

Bey, a sophomore forward from Blackwood, New Jersey, is the second Tiger to capture the conference’s top honor in the past eight years. The 6’2 sophomore finished the season leading the league in scoring with 23.8 points per game, which ranked seventh among all NCAA Division II athletes. She also led the eastern division champions in rebounds pulling down a total of 311 on the season, ranking second in NCAA Division II. During her second season with Benedict, Bey shot 61.9% from the field and 79.6% from the free-throw line. She was named SIAC Player of the Week five times throughout the year.

Carter is the first Golden Tiger to be named SIAC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the past eight seasons. The 6’2 forward led Tuskegee to their best record since the 2012-13 year on the way to claiming the SIAC Western Division Championship. The senior transfer is the leading scorer and rebounder for the Golden Tigers averaging 18.1 points per game and 12.2 rebounds per game. Carter currently leads the league in blocked shots averaging 4.05 per game which ranks second in NCAA Division II.

Jackson is the second consecutive Panther to be named the conference’s top freshman honor. In her first season, the 5’7 guard was the led the Panthers in scoring with 14.5 points per game. Jackson is one of three freshmen in the conference ranked among the top 10 in scoring this season.

Rice, an alumnus of Benedict College, has collected his second Coach of the Year honor since taking over the head coaching responsibilities prior to the 2012-13 season. This year, Rice led the Tigers to their first undefeated conference season finishing with an unblemished 15-0 record. Throughout the season, Benedict has maintained a spot in the regional rankings and are currently ranked sixth in the South Region. The Tigers enter this week’s tournament seeking for their fourth SIAC Championship and fifth NCAA tournament appearance under Rice.

The 2019 SIAC Basketball Tournament is set to tip off on February 25, with the final scheduled for March 2. The Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Alabama will host the tournament for the third time, with 12 women’s teams competing for the title.

2018-19 SIAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team

First Team

Second Team

Honorable Mention Team

Coach of the Year
James Rice, Benedict

Defensive Player of the Year
Alexis Carter, Tuskegee

Freshman of the Year
Reagan Jackson, Clark Atlanta

Newcomer of the Year
Alexis Carter, Tuskegee

Player of the Year:
Ay’Anna Bey, Benedict

Courtesy: SIAC