Clarksville, Ark.-Three University of the Ozarks women's basketball players received American Southwest Conference honors, announced by the league office on Monday. All-Conference awards are selected by vote of the 16 league head coaches.
Junior center Mandi Carter was named to the ASC All-East Division second team and sophomore guard Erica Eneks and freshman forward LaTisha McCalister were named honorable mention All-East division. McCalister also earned a spot on the ASC All-East Division Freshman team. Carter, a 6-1 post from Clarksville, finished seventh in the league in field goal percentage (50.5%) while leading the team in rebounding (6.8) and finishing second in scoring (13.8). Carter led the team in scoring in six games and rebounding in ten games and recorded three double-doubles this season. Carter’s best game of the year came against LeTourneau when she scored 16 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, dished out five assists and blocked five shots. She has already scored 1,088 career points and grabbed 610 career rebounds, ninth-best on Ozarks’ all-time rebounding list. She is a three-time ASC All-East Division performer. McCalister, a 5-11 native of Malvern, finished fourteenth in the ASC in scoring (14.3) and second in blocked shots (2.3). She led the team in scoring, blocks and three-point percentage (40.9%). She ranked second on the team in rebounding (6.0) and steals (1.2). McCalister led the Lady Eagles in scoring in eight games and rebounding in nine games. Her best performance of the season came against Mississippi College when she scored 17 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Eneks, a 5-7 native of Mountainburg, ranked seventh in the ASC in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1) while finishing third on the team in scoring (11.2). She led the team in three-pointers (37) and finished second in assists (3.0) and free throw percentage (83%). Eneks led the team in scoring in four games. Her best game of the season came against UT-Tyler when she hit 5-of-7 three-pointers and scored 25 points. “These girls definitely deserve recognition,” said head coach Kelly Stutz. “Mandi is a good player. She can go inside and post you up, but she can also hit jumpers on the perimeter. She is a good defender as well. She shook off some of the rust earlier on and was a huge contributing factor for us. Her biggest asset is her strength and mobility. LaTisha had a good freshman year and will do nothing but continue to improve. She loves playing basketball and wants to get better. Erica was our X factor this season. She can knock down an outside shot when other players are be doubled down inside. She also expanded her game defensively and her assist-to-turnover ratio was outstanding.” The Lady Eagles (12-14, 11-11) finished fourth in the ASC East Division, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since the 2001-2002 season. “We made some good strides this season,” said Stutz. “Obviously we would have liked to see it finish out a little better. We struggled a little bit down the stretch, but we had a young group and they were able to gain some good experience. We made the tournament and I think that will help us in the future.”
Topics: Athletics