Women’s Basketball: Gordon Named First Team All-Conference, Fields On Second Team

NEW ORLEANS – Senior guard Jaylyn Gordon was named First Team All-Conference while junior forward Simone Fields was tabbed on the Second Team as the Sun Belt Conference announced its women’s basketball all-conference teams and individual awards on Monday.

Gordon led the Sun Belt in scoring (18.1 ppg), three-point field goals made per game (2.7) and minutes played per game (38.4). This season, she shot 37.7% from the floor, 38.1% from the 3-point line and 73.9% from the free throw line.
 
The senior from Edgard, La. led the Ragin’ Cajuns this season in assists (92) and steals (53). Gordon is currently ranked ninth all-time in program history in total points scored. She ranks second all-time in program history in 3-point field goals made.
 
Fields was sixth in the league in scoring (14.7) and third in field goal percentage (.548). She was tied for sixth in rebounds per game (7.0) and third in offensive rebounds per game (3.7). Fields reached the 1,000-point milestone in the regular season finale against UTA.
 
Little Rock’s Sharde’ Collins and head coach Joe Foley were awarded top honors by the Sun Belt Conference on Monday. Collins, a senior, earned the second Sun Belt women’s basketball Player of the Year award in Little Rock’s history, while Foley earned his fourth overall Sun Belt Coach of the Year honor.
 
UTA junior Cierra Johnson earned the Defensive Player of the Year award while Georgia State’s Tiffany Holston received Newcomer of the Year honors, which returned as an individual award after a seven-year hiatus. Holston’s teammate, Jada Lewis, was tabbed as the Freshman of the Year, the second consecutive freshman honor for the Panthers.
 
Voting for the individual awards and All-Sun Belt teams were conducted by the league’s 12 head coaches along with a selected media panel.
 
The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Basketball Championship begins on Tuesday, March 7, at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans. For the first time since the tournament moved to New Orleans, all 12 teams will compete for the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

All games of the tournament will be televised by ESPN3, and available on the WatchESPN app, with the championship game set for a 6 p.m. CT tip Sunday.

First Team All-Sun Belt
Sharde’ Collins (Little Rock, G, Senior, Sociology)
Kaitlyn Pratt (Little Rock, F, Senior, Social Work)
Jaylyn Gordon (Louisiana, G, Senior, General Studies)
Rebekah VanDijk (UTA, C, Junior, Pre-Law)
Caitlyn Ramirez (Troy, F, Senior, Psychology)

Second Team All-Sun Belt
Ced Gibson (Coastal Carolina, G, Senior, Interdisciplinary Studies)
Patrice Butler (Georgia Southern, F/C, Senior, Sports Management)
Angel McGowan (Georgia Southern, G, Senior, Mathematics)
Simone Fields (Louisiana, F/C, Junior, Informatics)
Cierra Johnson (UTA, G, Junior, Child Psychology)

Third Team All-Sun Belt
Joi Jones (Appalachian State, G, Senior, Biology)
Madi Story (Appalachian State, F, Junior, Exercise Science)
Jada Lewis (Georgia State, G, Freshman)
Chyna Ellis (South Alabama, C, Junior, Allied Health)
Taeler Deer (Texas State, G, Junior, Exercise/Sport Science)

Sun Belt Player of the Year
Sharde’ Collins (Little Rock, G, Senior, Sociology)

Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year
Cierra Johnson (UTA, G, Junior, Child Psychology)

Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Jada Lewis (Georgia State, G, Freshman)

Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year
Tiffany Holston (Georgia State, F, Graduate)

Coach of the Year
Joe Foley, Little Rock