March 16, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky women’s basketball junior standout A’dia Mathies has been named an All-Region 3 nominee for the 2012 WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team, the WBCA announced.
There were a total of 52 candidates named from the eight regions. The selection committee will review the candidates and trim the list to 40 finalists on Monday, March 19, all of whom will be in the running for selection to the 10-member WBCA Division I Coaches’ All-America Team.
Mathies, the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, is leading the Wildcats to one of their most successful seasons in school history. UK won its first SEC regular season championship since 1982 with a school-record 13-3 mark in league play. The Wildcats are 25-6 overall and have now won 25-plus games for three consecutive seasons for the first time ever.
Over the last three seasons, Kentucky has gone 35-13 in SEC play, the best three-year conference mark in school history. At home during that time, Kentucky has been a formidable team, holding an impressive 48-2 mark in Lexington. UK was the only school in the SEC to go undefeated at home this season with a 16-0 clip. The Wildcats’ current 20-game home winning streak is tied for the fourth longest in the country.
Mathies leads the Wildcats in scoring (15.7 points per game), 3-point field goal percentage (.381) and steals (2.7 steals per game). The Louisville, Ky., native is second on the team in rebounds (5.3 rebounds per game), 3-point field goals made (48), and assists (2.5 assists per game).
Amongst her SEC peers, Mathies is second in the league in scoring, second in steals, third in 3-point field goal percentage, tied for eighth in 3-point field goals made and 11th in offensive rebounds. Mathies has reached double figures in scoring in every game but six this season, and has 11 games of 20 or more points. Her best game of the season came against Tennessee as she poured in a career-high 34 points and hit the game-winning basket with less than five seconds left to snap Tennessee’s 36-game SEC winning streak. Mathies’ 34 points were the most points scored by a Wildcat since 1987.
In addition to being named the SEC Player of the Year, Mathies also was named to the All-SEC first team and All-SEC Defensive Team.
Mathies also is on the final ballot for the Wooden Award, the Wade Trophy, and the USBWA Player of the Year.
The No. 12/11 Wildcats are set to face McNeese State on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Ames, Iowa. The game will tip at 4:20 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN2. UK was awarded a two seed, its first two seed since 1982, and tying its highest seed ever. It is Kentucky’s ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and its third in the last three years, marking the first time in program history that has been accomplished.
