March 8, 2015
IRVING, Texas - Conference USA regular-season champion and league newcomer WKU highlights the 2014-15 All-Conference USA Women's Basketball teams following an impressive showing in the Lady Toppers' inaugural season in C-USA. Voting was comprised of three votes per institution; the women's basketball head coach, women's basketball sports information director and a media representative.
Old Dominion sophomore Jennie Simms ranks second in the conference in scoring at 18.8 ppg, upping that to 19.9 in league action, to receive a first-team nod. She has 10 double-doubles this year and has logged double-figure points in all but three games with 12 games of topping the 20-point mark, including a season-high 45-point outburst in the 80-67 win at FIU. The Accokeek, Maryland, native holds an 8.0 rebounds per game average.
After being tabbed the C-USA Preseason Player of the Year, senior standout Chastity Gooch of WKU headlines the selections as the only player to be unanimously elected First-Team All-Conference USA. Gooch, a member of the Wade Watch List, has been the Lady Toppers' most consistent performer on the court, averaging 17.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. The forward was a driving force in WKU's regular-season conference title as well as the squad's Preseason WNIT run to the championship game, where she was selected to the 2014 Preseason Women's NIT All-Tournament Team. Gooch was also named to the five-woman C-USA All-Defensive Team after grabbing 62 steals and swatting 39 blocks on the year. An undersized post player, Gooch has consistently drawn defensive assignments against bigger players and has succeeding in shutting down the opposition.
Joining Gooch on the first team is the other half of WKU's dynamic duo, classmate Alexis Govan. A member of the preseason all-conference team, Govan averages 16.4 points per game, while shooting nearly 50.0 percent from the guard position. She ranks among the top 10 players 5'10" or under in the nation in terms of field goal percentage. Govan has been a constant scorer for the Lady Toppers in their reemergence on the national scene, ranking 11th all-time in scoring in program history.
Also garnering all-conference accolades for WKU is redshirt sophomore Kendall Noble, who was voted to the league's second team as well as the all-defensive squad. The guard is one of the nation's most versatile players, averaging 11.1 points, 7.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.2 steals and nearly a block per game. Noble has connected on 51.5 percent from the field this season, while posting a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio. She set the WKU single-season record for steals with 95 and tied the C-USA single-game record with 10 steals at North Texas on Feb. 5, becoming just the sixth player in league history with 10 in a game.
Rounding out WKU's awards is C-USA All-Freshman honoree Tashia Brown. The forward is averaging 8.9 points per game and has been one of the top reserves for a talented WKU team. Brown has saved her best for late in the season, scoring in double figures in five of the past seven games, averaging 10.6 points and 4.0 rebounds with just nine turnovers, while shooting 47.0% from the field during that span. The rookie guard has been an efficient 48.0 percent from the field in league play.
Southern Miss senior Tamara Jones earned an All-Conference USA first-team nod after leading her team in points per game (16.3), rebounds per contest (6.5) and field goals made (168). The forward was instrumental in the Lady Eagles posting a flawless 3-0 mark against WKU and Middle Tennessee, averaging 23.7 points in the three games, including a game-high 35 points on the road Jan. 15 against the Blue Raiders.
Teammate Jerontay Clemons appears on the all-conference second team and the all-defensive unit for the Lady Eagles. The guard is second on the team in steals (45), while finishing behind Jones in points (12.8) and rebounds per game (6.3). Along with her great output on the offensive end, the defensive stopper was always assigned to guard the opponent's top offensive threat. From Coldwater, Mississippi, Clemons tallied double-digit points in 21 fixtures and posted three double-doubles.
Middle Tennessee sophomore standout Olivia Jones, the 2014 C-USA Freshman of the Year, continues her acquisition of conference honors with a 2015 First-Team All-C-USA recognition. The hometown Blue Raider is first in C-USA in both scoring (20.2) and minutes played (38.0), and ranks in the top five of rebounding (8.4), steals (2.9) and three-point field goals made (2.3). The dominant scorer recorded 20-plus points in 16 games and double figures in 27 of 28 games, while leading MT to a No. 2 seed in the C-USA Championship.
Louisiana Tech leader Whitney Frazier earns first-team honors after leading Tech in scoring, rebounding, field goals made. The four-year starter has been a mainstay in the Lady Techster lineup, starting 97 consecutive games dating back to the last five games of her freshman season. Frazier is one only 14 players in the illustrious LA Tech women's basketball history to score 1,500 points and grab 800 rebounds in a career. Teammates Kelia Shelton (second team) and Tiara Davenport (All-Freshman) were also honored with selections.
Florida Atlantic sophomore Shaneese Bailey garners first-team honors as the Owls' leading scorer averages 16.1 points to go with 5.4 rebounds per game, while also leading the team in steals and assists. The guard has been excellent from the floor this year, shooting 50 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe. Bailey has notched double-digit points in 22 of her last 24 games and opened FAU's conference slate with point totals of 29, 29 and 27. Freshman Malia Kency represents Florida Atlantic on the All-Freshman team.
Capping off the first team is UAB senior Janae Smith, who ranks fourth in C-USA with 18.5 points per game. The talented veteran is one of three players in the conference to rank in the top seven in both scoring and rebounding. Smith has been the most influential Blazer this season, also leading the squad in rebounds (7.9), field-goal percentage (48.8), free-throw percentage (87.0), blocks (40) and steals (41). The do-it-all forward has also dished out 61 assists on the year.
Marshall senior Chukwuka Ezeigbo earns a spot on the second team and All-Defensive squad after her fine play on both ends of the court. The towering center is third in C-USA, pulling down 10.3 rebounds per game, including an impressive 4.3 average on the offensive glass. A native of Trenton, New Jersey, Ezeigbo is tied for a league-best 13 double-doubles this year, ranks first in the conference with a 64.4 percent clip from the floor and is fifth in blocked shots per game (1.3). Senior Leah Scott joins Ezeigbo on the second team as the Herd's leading scorer with 14.6 points per contest.
UTEP junior Cameasha Turner earns multi-team selection as she receives second team and all-defensive honors. The guard emerged as a leader for the young Miner ball club, and Turner thrived in the role. The all-around player is the only individual in C-USA to rank in the top 10 in the league for steals per game (2.0), three-point percentage (39.2) and points per game (15.3). Three-time C-USA Freshman of the Week Lulu McKinney of UTEP takes a spot on the all-freshman team. 2014 C-USA All-Freshman Team selection Lefty Webster carried her form into her sophomore season to receive second-team accolades. The guard has effected the game on both ends of the floor, leading the 49ers in points per game (14.0) and steals (63). The final second-team spot went to Rice senior Christal Porter, who has cleaned up the glass better than anyone else this year. The rebounding machine averages 11.8 boards per game, tops in C-USA (10th, NCAA), and is the only active C-USA player who averages a double-double as she leads the Owls in scoring with 11.4 points per game.
FIU freshman Kiandre'a Pound places on the All-Freshman team after being named C-USA Freshman of the Week a league-best six times. The debutant leads all Panthers scorers on the season with 14.8 points per game, ranking 10th among all players in C-USA.
The 2015 Conference USA Women's Basketball Championship, hosted by UAB in Birmingham, Alabama, tips off Wednesday, March 11, with first-round games at 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. CT. The first two rounds will be played at Bartow Arena on the campus of UAB before moving over to Legacy Arena at the BJCC for the semifinals and championship.
2014-15 All-Conference USA First Team
Shaneese Bailey, Florida Atlantic, So., F, Callahan, Florida
Whitney Frazier, Louisiana Tech, Sr., G/F, El Dorado, Arkansas
Olivia Jones, Middle Tennessee, So., G/F, Murfreesboro
Jennie Simms, Old Dominion, So., F, Accokeek, Maryland
Tamara Jones, Southern Miss, Sr., F, Prosser, Washington
Janae Smith, UAB, Sr., F, Matteson, Illinois
Chastity Gooch, WKU, Sr., F, Franklin, Kentucky
Alexis Govan, WKU, Sr., G/F, San Antonio, Texas
2014-15 All-Conference USA Second Team
Lefty Webster, Charlotte, So., G, Norfolk, Virginia
Kelia Shelton, Louisiana Tech, Sr., G, Rock Hill, South Carolina
Chukwuka Ezeigbo, Marshall, Sr., C, Trenton, New Jersey
Leah Scott, Marshall, Jr., G/F, Detroit, Michigan
Christal Porter, Rice, Sr., F, Germantown, Tennessee
Jerontay Clemons, Southern Miss, Jr., G, Coldwater, Mississippi
Cameasha Turner, UTEP, Jr., G, Dallas, Texas
Kendall Noble, WKU, RS-So., G, Hazard, Kentucky
2014-15 Conference USA All-Defensive Team
Chukwuka Ezeigbo, Marshall, Sr., C, Trenton, New Jersey
Jerontay Clemons, Southern Miss, Jr., G, Coldwater, Mississippi
Cameasha Turner, UTEP, Jr., G, Dallas, Texas
Chastity Gooch, WKU, Sr., F, Franklin, Kentucky
Kendall Noble, WKU, RS-So., G, Hazard, Kentucky
2014-15 Conference USA All-Freshman Team
Kiandre'a Pound, FIU, Fr., F, Vero Beach, Florida
Malia Kency, Florida Atlantic, Fr., G, Statesboro, Georgia
Tiara Davenport, Louisiana Tech, Fr., G/F, Duncanville, Texas
Lulu McKinney, UTEP, Fr., G, Houston, Texas
Tashia Brown, WKU, Fr., F, Lake Park, Georgia
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