Three Lady Bulldogs Garner SEC Honors
STARKVILLE, Miss. - Three Lady Bulldogs made Mississippi State history Tuesday as the Southeastern Conference coaches honors were announced by the league office. Alexis Rack and Armelie Lumanu were named to the first and second All-SEC teams respectively while Lumanu was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Lumanu, along with senior Chanel Mokango both were also named to the All-SEC Defensive Team for the second consecutive season.
The All-SEC honors earned by Rack and Lumanu marked the first time since 2003 and just the fourth time ever that Mississippi State has put two players on the All-SEC list in the same season. Rack earned first team honors for the second consecutive year. The Franklin, La. native was third in the league in scoring during the regular season, averaging 17.7 points a game. She also led the SEC in three-point field goals made, ranked fourth in assists and fifth in steals. The All-American candidate and Gillom Award recipient last season, Rack has 1674 points which is just three points shy of tying former MSU All-SEC performer Jennifer Fambrough for third on the school's career scoring list. With 325 career three-point field goals, Rack ranks second all-time in SEC history and is just 12 shy of tying LSU's Cornelia Gayden's 337 career threes.
Lumanu, from Kinshasa, Congo, became the first Mississippi State player to win the conference Defensive Player of the Year honor in just the seventh year the award has been given. Lumanu, also named to the All-SEC second team, ranked second in the SEC this season in steals, averaging 2.5 a game. She also led Mississippi State and ranked eighth in the league in rebounding, pulling down 7.2 a contest. She was second on the Lady Bulldog squad in scoring, averaging 12.1 points a game while ranking seventh in the league in assists, dishing out 4.1 a game.
Lumanu, along with Mokango were two of just five players selected to the All-SEC Defensive Team, as both earned the honor for the second consecutive season. Mokango, ranking second in the league in blocks with 67, is Mississippi State's career block leader with 164 in just two seasons. Mokango also ranked 10th in the league in rebounding, averaging 7.0 a game, while scoring 10.7 points a game. The duo helped Mississippi State rank first in the conference in three-point field goal pct. defense, second in steals and third in turnover margin.
Earning the third seed in this week's SEC Tournament held in Duluth, Ga., the Lady Bulldogs received a first-round bye and will open play Friday at 8 p.m. CT against the Georgia/Alabama winner in the second round. Friday's game will be televised by Fox Sports Net and will be carried by WFCA 107.9 FM.
First Team All-SEC
Ashley Houts, UG
*Victoria Dunlap, UK
*Allison Hightower, LSU
Bianca Thomas, UM
Alexis Rack, MSU
*Angie Bjorklund, UT
Kelley Cain, UT
Jence Rhoads, VU
Second Team All-SEC
Alli Smalley, AU
A'dia Mathies, UK
Shekinna Stricklen, UT
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Kelsey Bone, SC
Valerie Nainima, SC
Merideth Marsh, VU
All-Freshman Team
Jennifer George, UF
Jasmine Hassell, UG
*Jasmine James, UGA
*A'dia Mathies, UK
*Kelsey Bone, SC
Elan Brown, VU
*Tiffany Clarke, VU
All-Defensive Team
Victoria Dunlap, UK
Allison Hightower, LSU
Armelie Lumanu, MSU
Chanel Mokango, MSU
Kelley Cain, UT
Coach of the Year
Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
6th Woman of the Year
Alyssia Brewer, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee