| March 8, 2004 |
Hendrix and Holliday garner All-Southland Conference honors
PLANO, Texas - University of Texas at San Antonio women's basketball seniors Nikki Hendrix and Dewella Holliday were each named to the all-Southland Conference (SLC) squads with Hendrix taking first team honors and Holliday earning a second team nod, it was announced Monday by the league office.
Hendrix makes her second straight first-team appearance and third all-time after helping UTSA secure fourth place and a first-round home game in the SLC tournament, as the Roadrunners make their fourth consecutive postseason appearance.
The Roadrunners host No. 5 McNeese State on Tuesday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the UTSA Convocation Center.
The ninth Roadrunner to reach 1,000 career-points, Hendrix, an Ardmore, Okla. native, enters postseason play with 1,071 points which is ninth all-time at UTSA. With five double-doubles on the season, a career-best, she is also ninth in rebounding with 417 for her career. She currently leads the league in scoring averaging 17.3 points per game for the Roadrunners.
Hendrix was also named the SLC Player of Week for her play during the final week of the regular season. The six-foot senior notched her first honor this season with UTSA winning two at home last week. She posted her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 60-41 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Friday. For the week, Hendrix averaged 19.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and shot 53.6 percent from the field (15-28). She was also perfect at the free throw line, sinking eight-of-eight.
The returning SLC newcomer of the year, Holliday picked up second team honors for the season as UTSA's second-leading scorer with 13.9 points per game and rebounder with 6.5 boards per game. The Monroe City, Mo. native has posted a team-high six double-doubles on the season and has the most consecutive games scoring in double figures with 11.
The accolades continue to roll in for La'Terrica Dobin of Northwestern State University as the Louisiana native was selected the 2004 SLC Player of the Year. The 5-foot-4 guard is part of a potent Lady Demon trio that consists of the top three scorers on the team. In addition to averaging 15.0 points a game, the SLC's assists leader seeks to become the first basketball player, male or female, to lead the nation in assists three consecutive years.
The senior, who makes her third straight first-team appearance, is averaging 9.82 assists per contest and is on pace to finish her Lady Demon career as the SLC's assists leader for the third year in a row as well. Teammate Amanda Bennett joins Dobin on the first team as the junior from Simpson, La., notches her first all-league honor. Bennett is tied with teammate Diamond Cosby, a second-team selection, on the NSU squad in scoring with 16.2 points a game. Bennett leads the conference in three-pointers made with 2.44 per game, which ranks among the nation's individual leaders. The 5-foot-10 forward is also a solid defensive player as she is currently fourth in the SLC in rebounding (8.2 rpg) and second in defensive rebounds (5.89).
Juniors Rola Ogunoye of the University of Texas at Arlington and Nina Randle from the University of Louisiana at Monroe round out the first team. It is Ogunoye's third all-conference accolade and Randle's second with this year being a first-team spotlight for both.
Northwestern State claimed two other superlatives while Southeastern Louisiana's Nakeya Downing garnered recognition for newcomer of the year. The junior is the third Lady Lion to claim the honor and also received a spot on the third team on the all-league list. Heading into the postseason, Downing ranks second in the SLC in rebounding with 9.4 per game and sits among conference leaders in scoring (12.8 ppg), free throw percentage (78.7), steals (1.84) and blocked shots (1.36).
Lady Demon Chassidy Jones was tabbed freshman of the year and head coach James Smith was selected coach of the year by his peers and the media. Jones has been instrumental to NSU's success this year as she becomes the third Lady Demon to receive rookie honors. The 5-foot-9 guard from Crowley, La., ranks fifth in the league in field goal percentage (48.6) and ranks among Southland leaders in scoring (9.4 ppg) and rebounding (5.5 rpg).
Smith picked up his second coaching award after guiding his Lady Demons to their 10th 20-win season and third regular-season championship. Smith and company make their seventh consecutive and 15th all-time postseason trip, seeking their first tournament crown. Northwestern State has finished in the runner-up spot eight times but have yet to claim the coveted title.
Eight of the 10 all-conference selections from the second and third squads clinched their first all-SLC accolade this year, which includes three sophomores in the mix. Stephen F. Austin State University's LaToya Mills sits on the second squad while teammate Kendria Smith takes a third-team spot along with Regina Spivey, who is the lone all-league representative for McNeese State University.
Cosby and Dewella Holliday of the University of Texas at San Antonio join Texas State University's Tori Talbert and Sam Houston State University's Stacy Allen into the all-league club with a second-team nod. All-conference third teamers Krystal Buchanan and LaToya Lewis of UTA complete the all-SLC list.
2004 ALL-SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Name Schools Pos. Yr. Hometown
La'Terrica Dobin Northwestern State P Sr. Bossier City, La.
Nikki Hendrix Texas-San Antonio F Sr. Ardmore, Okla.
Amanda Bennett Northwestern State F Jr. Simpson, La.
Rola Ogunoye Texas-Arlington P Jr. Cedar Hill, Texas
Nina Randle Louisiana-Monroe G Jr. Covington, La.
SECOND TEAM
Tori Talbert Texas State P Jr. Boerne, Texas
Diamond Cosby Northwestern State G Jr. Shreveport, La.
Stacy Allen Sam Houston State G Sr. Webster, Texas
LaToya Mills Stephen F. Austin P So. Houston, Texas
Dewella Holliday Texas-San Antonio G Sr. Monroe City, Mo.
THIRD TEAM
Regina Spivey McNeese State F So. Ruston, La.
Nakeya Downing Southeastern Louisiana F Jr. Amite, La.
Kendria Smith Stephen F. Austin P So. Shreveport, La.
Krystal Buchanan Texas-Arlington G Jr. DeSoto, Texas
LaToya Lewis Texas-Arlington G Sr. Orange, Texas
HONORABLE MENTION
Julie Brooks, TXST; Marneshia Bryant, NICH; Rashekii Howard, LU; Audrea Samuels, LU.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
La'Terrica Dobin, Northwestern State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Nakeya Downing, Southeastern Louisiana
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Chassidy Jones, Northwestern State
COACH OF THE YEAR
James Smith, Northwestern State