Aleksandravicius Tabbed SoCon Player of Year, Savage Garners Coach of the Year
2/29/2012 2:23:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
DAVIDSON, N.C. — After leading the Davidson women's basketball team to their first regular season Southern Conference title in program history, head coach Michele Savage was named the league's Coach of the Year, while Sophia Aleksandravicius (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) was tabbed the SoCon's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by the league's coaches and announced today by the league office.
Aleksandravicius becomes just the second Wildcat to earn player of the year honors, joining Carolyn Kirsch who was the league's top player during the 1996-97 campaign. The junior, who is the first Davidson player to earn defender of the year, was named the SoCon preseason Player of the Year to start the 2011-12 season.
For Savage, who is in her second year, she becomes the first head coach in program history to garner the top honor by the coaches. Annette Watts was named the media's SoCon Coach of the Year during the 2004-05 campaign.
In addition, sophomore Laura Murray (Harrisburg, Pa.) was named to the coaches' all-conference team along with Aleksandravicius.
Its been a solid year for Savage and the Wildcats, who finished a school-best 17-3 in SoCon play for a first-place tie with Appalachian State. Their 21 wins are second-most in school history and they rattled off a nine-game win streak which was second-best next to the 10-game run during the 2006-07. Davidson also took homecourt advantage to a new level this year, going a program-best 12-1 at John M. Belk Arena, including a record 9-1 vs. the league.
Davidson as a team ranked second in the league in field goal percentage and third in scoring, while holding the top defensive spots in points allowed (55.6 per game) and opponent field goal shooting (.346). Eighteen times this year the Wildcats held an opponent to under 36 percent shooting, including seven times when the opposition was under 29 percent.
Aleksandravicius and Murray led the way on both ends as they were two of the top players in the league during the regular season. The 6-foot-4 Aleksandravicius was fourth in scoring (13.7), while pacing the SoCon in defensive rebounds (197) and overall rebounds (9.1 per game), and blocks (3.1 per game, 89 total). She ranks eighth nationally in blocks per game.
The junior, who was a first-team member last year, scored in double figures in 27 of the Wildcats' 29 games and registered 11 double-doubles to push her career mark to 30. Aleksandravicius also broke her own school single-game block record with nine vs. Furman, Jan. 30 at home. She just missed a triple-double in the game, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Earlier in the month, the forward hauled in a career-best 20 rebounds in a 17-point, 20-rebound and 7-block contest at Appalachian State as Davidson won 55-52.
Aleksandravicius was named the SoCon's November and January Players of the Month, while garnering player of the week honors, Jan. 24-30.
Murray led the team in scoring at 14.3 points, good for third in the league, and was second in the SoCon in three-point shooting at a career-best 40.7 (59-145), which is also good for 10th-best in the nation. The second-year player scored in double digits in 24 games, including clipping the 20-point mark a team-best seven times. She pushed her streak of scoring in double figures in league games to 21 straight, dating back to last year, before having it snapped in a home victory vs. ASU, Feb. 18.
Defensively, the former SoCon Freshman of the Year hauled in close to four rebounds a game, while tying Aleksandravicius for second on the team with 49 steals.
Furman's Brittany Hodges was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, while Lashana Booker was named the recipient of the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award. This award honors a student-athlete or coach who has shown outstanding courage or service. On the all-conference team, Chattanooga led the way with three players and ASU?had two along with Davidson.
Davidson (21-8), the top seed in the SoCon Tournament, will play the winner of No. 8 College of Charleston and No. 9 Wofford on Saturday, March 3, at 12 p.m. in Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC Asheville.
Coaches All-Conference Team
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State
Courtney Freeman, Appalachian State
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Laura Murray, Davidson
Ali Ford, Elon
Paige Anderson, Samford
Whitney Hood, Chattanooga
Kayla Christopher, Chattanooga
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Kaila'Shea Menendez, Western Carolina
All-Freshmen Team
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State
Sam Coffer, Elon
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Taylor Reece, Samford
Ali Lane, Western Carolina
Player of the Year
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Defensive Player of the Year
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Freshman of the Year
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Coach of the Year
Michele Savage, Davidson
Aleksandravicius becomes just the second Wildcat to earn player of the year honors, joining Carolyn Kirsch who was the league's top player during the 1996-97 campaign. The junior, who is the first Davidson player to earn defender of the year, was named the SoCon preseason Player of the Year to start the 2011-12 season.
For Savage, who is in her second year, she becomes the first head coach in program history to garner the top honor by the coaches. Annette Watts was named the media's SoCon Coach of the Year during the 2004-05 campaign.
In addition, sophomore Laura Murray (Harrisburg, Pa.) was named to the coaches' all-conference team along with Aleksandravicius.
Its been a solid year for Savage and the Wildcats, who finished a school-best 17-3 in SoCon play for a first-place tie with Appalachian State. Their 21 wins are second-most in school history and they rattled off a nine-game win streak which was second-best next to the 10-game run during the 2006-07. Davidson also took homecourt advantage to a new level this year, going a program-best 12-1 at John M. Belk Arena, including a record 9-1 vs. the league.
Davidson as a team ranked second in the league in field goal percentage and third in scoring, while holding the top defensive spots in points allowed (55.6 per game) and opponent field goal shooting (.346). Eighteen times this year the Wildcats held an opponent to under 36 percent shooting, including seven times when the opposition was under 29 percent.
Aleksandravicius and Murray led the way on both ends as they were two of the top players in the league during the regular season. The 6-foot-4 Aleksandravicius was fourth in scoring (13.7), while pacing the SoCon in defensive rebounds (197) and overall rebounds (9.1 per game), and blocks (3.1 per game, 89 total). She ranks eighth nationally in blocks per game.
The junior, who was a first-team member last year, scored in double figures in 27 of the Wildcats' 29 games and registered 11 double-doubles to push her career mark to 30. Aleksandravicius also broke her own school single-game block record with nine vs. Furman, Jan. 30 at home. She just missed a triple-double in the game, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Earlier in the month, the forward hauled in a career-best 20 rebounds in a 17-point, 20-rebound and 7-block contest at Appalachian State as Davidson won 55-52.
Aleksandravicius was named the SoCon's November and January Players of the Month, while garnering player of the week honors, Jan. 24-30.
Murray led the team in scoring at 14.3 points, good for third in the league, and was second in the SoCon in three-point shooting at a career-best 40.7 (59-145), which is also good for 10th-best in the nation. The second-year player scored in double digits in 24 games, including clipping the 20-point mark a team-best seven times. She pushed her streak of scoring in double figures in league games to 21 straight, dating back to last year, before having it snapped in a home victory vs. ASU, Feb. 18.
Defensively, the former SoCon Freshman of the Year hauled in close to four rebounds a game, while tying Aleksandravicius for second on the team with 49 steals.
Furman's Brittany Hodges was named the SoCon Freshman of the Year, while Lashana Booker was named the recipient of the Ann Lashley Inspiration Award. This award honors a student-athlete or coach who has shown outstanding courage or service. On the all-conference team, Chattanooga led the way with three players and ASU?had two along with Davidson.
Davidson (21-8), the top seed in the SoCon Tournament, will play the winner of No. 8 College of Charleston and No. 9 Wofford on Saturday, March 3, at 12 p.m. in Kimmel Arena on the campus of UNC Asheville.
Coaches All-Conference Team
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State
Courtney Freeman, Appalachian State
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Laura Murray, Davidson
Ali Ford, Elon
Paige Anderson, Samford
Whitney Hood, Chattanooga
Kayla Christopher, Chattanooga
Taylor Hall, Chattanooga
Kaila'Shea Menendez, Western Carolina
All-Freshmen Team
Maryah Sydnor, Appalachian State
Sam Coffer, Elon
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Taylor Reece, Samford
Ali Lane, Western Carolina
Player of the Year
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Defensive Player of the Year
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Freshman of the Year
Brittany Hodges, Furman
Coach of the Year
Michele Savage, Davidson
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