ACU’s Breanna Wright named Southland Women’s Basketball Player of the Year

FRISCO, Texas – Abilene Christian senior guard Breanna Wright is the 2019-20 Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. The award was announced along with four other superlative honors and the 2019-20 Southland All-Conference rosters. The Southland Player of the Year Award is presented by Ready Nutrition.

Wright has put together an impressive senior campaign and currently leads the conference in 10 categories. The Wildcats’ senior has consistently shown her dual-threat offensive ability as she tops the league with 18.1 points and 5.1 assists per game. Wright has shown her range all year with 85 made three-pointers to pace an ACU squad that ranks fourth nationally with 10 triples per game. The Jarrell, Texas, native also claimed a spot on the All-Southland first team, earning all-conference honors for the third time in her career.

Sam Houston State’s Faith Cook claimed Newcomer of the Year after pushing the Bearkats to a 14-6 Southland record and the No. 4 tournament seed. In addition to averaging 10.7 points per game, the redshirt junior also stands second on the Bearkats’ squad with 81 assists for a 2.8 average.

Southeastern Louisiana’s Alexius Horne is the Southland Freshman of the Year after helping the Lady Lions to their first postseason berth since the 2011-12 season. Horne leads SLU with 94 assists and 47 steals and becomes the program’s first Freshman of the Year honoree.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi senior forward Alexes Bryant took home the Defensive Player of the Year award, while Royce Chadwick was voted the Southland Coach of the Year. Chadwick guided the Islanders to a 17-3 record in Southland play and a 23-7 overall mark. The 23 wins ranks second in program history behind the 2009-10 squad’s 25 wins. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi led the way on the all-conference rosters with three selections and a pair of picks on the all-defensive team. Bryant and senior guard Dalesia Booth captured a second-team nods in addition to spots on the all-defensive team after leading A&M-Corpus Christi to a league-best 143 blocks and 1,129 rebounds in regular-season play. Dae Dae Evans rounds out the Islanders’ all-conference selections with a third-team nod.

Abilene Christian, New Orleans, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin each picked up two all-conference honorees. Central Arkansas, UIW, McNeese and Southeastern Louisiana complete the All-Southland teams with one selection apiece.

Joining A&M-Corpus Christi’s Bryant and Booth on the all-defensive team are UCA’s Taylor Sells, Lamar’s Jadyn Pimentel and Sam Houston State’s Amber Leggett.

All-conference teams and individual awards are nominated and voted upon by the conference’s head coaches and sports information directors. Voting for oneself or one’s own players/coaches is not permitted.

The opening round of play at the 2020 Hercules Tires Southland Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament tips off Thursday, March 12 at 11 a.m. CT inside Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

Player of the Year: Breanna Wright, Abilene Christian

Defensive Player of the Year: Alexes Bryant, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

Freshman of the Year: Alexius Horne, Southeastern Louisiana

Newcomer of the Year: Faith Cook, Sam Houston State

Coach of the Year: Royce Chadwick, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

2020 Women’s Basketball All-Conference First Team
Name School Pos. Cl. Hometown
Dominique Golightly2 Abilene Christian G Sr. Chickasha, Okla.
Breanna Wright3 Abilene Christian G Sr. Jarrell, Texas
Imani Robinson UIW G Sr. Round Rock, Texas
Amber Leggett Sam Houston State F So. Navarre, Fla.
Stephanie Visscher Stephen F. Austin G So. Lulea, Sweden

2020 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Second Team
Name School Pos. Cl. Hometown
Damilola Balogun McNeese F Sr. Lagos, Nigeria
Jaylonn Walker2 Sam Houston State G Sr. Calvert, Texas
Aiyana Johnson Stephen F. Austin F/C So. Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Dalesia Booth2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Alexes Bryant2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi F Sr. Cibolo, Texas

2020 Women’s Basketball All-Conference Third Team
Name School Pos. Cl. Hometown
Taylor Sells Central Arkansas G Sr. Tulsa, Okla.
Rehema Franklin New Orleans G Sr. New Orleans, La.
Asia Woods New Orleans F Sr. Houston, Texas
Celica Sterling Southeastern Louisiana G Sr. Baton Rouge, La.
Dae Dae Evans Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G Sr. Bellaire, Texas

2 Two-time All-Conference selection
3 Three-time All-Conference selection

2020 Women’s Basketball All-Defensive Team
Name School Pos. Cl. Hometown
Taylor Sells2 Central Arkansas G Sr. Tulsa, Okla.
Jadyn Pimentel Lamar G Jr. St. Louis, Mo.
Amber Leggett Sam Houston State F So. Navarre, Fla.
Dalesia Booth Texas A&M-Corpus Christi G Sr. San Antonio, Texas
Alexes Bryant2 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi F Sr. Cibolo, Texas

3 Three-time All-Defensive selection
2 Two-time All-Defensive selection