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 Senior Jennifer Gardner was named to the 10-member All-Southern Conference team today by the league's 11 head coaches. |
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Feb. 28, 2005
Cullowhee, N.C. - Senior forward Jennifer Gardner, who led the league in rebounding, was named to the coaches' 10-member All-Southern Conference team announced today. Gardner, who earned the distinction for the second time in her career, becomes just the third WCU women's basketball player to earn the all-conference nod from the coaches multiple times. She joins Laura Echols who accomplished the feat three times and Tiffany Hamm who was named twice.
"I am proud of Jennifer and the efforts she has displayed on the court this season," said head coach Kellie Harper. "She has been a leader and a go-to player for this team. I'm excited for her that she received the all-conference honor."
A three-time Southern Conference Player of the Week selection during the season -- the most by any player in the league -- Gardner averaged over nine boards per game. Her average jumped 9.7 when only figuring in conference games. She additionally led the subsequent rebounding categories with an average of 3.85 offensive and 5.26 defensive rebounds per contest.
The Norcross, Ga., native led the Lady Catamounts in scoring this season with an average of 12.0 points per game, to rank ninth in the SoCon. On the year, Gardner tallied a SoCon-leading 10 double-doubles to push her four-year career tally to 32. From the free throw line, she ranked fifth overall connecting on 79.7-percent of her attempts, an average that jumped to 82.6 in league play, fourth overall. To conclude the season, Gardner was successful on 65 of her last 77 attempts for 84.4-percent.
Entering this week's Kyocera Southern Conference Women's Basketball Championships, Gardner ranks fourth on the WCU Career Rebounding chart (841) and ninth on the All-time scoring list (1,252 points). She also is WCU's career leader in free throws made (407) while ranking fifth in the attempts category, and ranks second in career free throw percentage at 78.6-percent.
The Lady Catamounts will enter the tournament as the sixth seed for the second-consecutive season, playing number 11 Wofford in the night cap on Wednesday, March 2 (approx. 7:30 pm). Last year, Western became the first team in SoCon history to play all four days since the tournament expanded in 1998 to make the school's first appearance in the championship game.
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