March 1, 2011

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A trio of Kentucky women’s basketball players have been awarded Southeastern Conference postseason honors after another banner season, the conference office announced Tuesday. Senior forward Victoria Dunlap, sophomore guard A’dia Mathies and freshman guard Bernisha Pinkett have helped lead the Wildcats to a 22-7 record, including a second-place finish in conference play with a school-record-tying 11 SEC wins.

Dunlap (Nashville, Tenn.) receives the school’s first Defensive Player of the Year nod after ranking sixth nationally and leading the SEC in steals per game (3.3). The 6-foot-1 forward also was elected to the All-Defensive team and was a first-team All-SEC selection for the second straight season. Overall, Dunlap ranks in the top half of eight different SEC statistical categories and is considered one of the nation’s most versatile players as she leads the league in scoring (16.7 ppg) and steals (3.3 spg), ranks second in field-goal percentage (.462), and fourth in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and blocks (1.5 bpg). She has scored in double figures in 26 games this season, including 17 in a row. She ranks in the top six of 14 career lists at UK and is only the second player in UK history to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

Mathies (Louisville, Ky.), dubbed the “silent assassin” by her teammates, was named to the All-Defensive team and was an All-SEC second-team selection for the second consecutive season. She is averaging a career-high 13.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game and ranks sixth overall in scoring and fifth overall in steals in the SEC. Mathies has scored in double figures in 23 of UK’s 29 games, including six of last seven with 13 or more.

Pinkett (Washington, D.C.) was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after seeing action in all 29 games, earning starting assignments in UK’s last three SEC wins. Despite playing just 17.1 minutes per game, she is UK’s fourth-leading scorer (7.2 ppg), including the third-leading scorer in conference play (7.7 ppg). The 5-7 guard was named SEC Freshman of the Week for her performance against South Carolina and Mississippi State in Lexington. She came off the bench to notch a career-high 18 points vs. the Gamecocks and followed that performance with 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win over the Bulldogs.

This is the eighth consecutive season UK has had at least one player selected to the All-SEC teams and the second consecutive season a freshman has been named to the All-Freshman team.

The 2011 SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament begins Thursday and runs through Sunday in the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. FSN continues its dedication to SEC events by televising all first-round and second-round games. ESPNU will televise both semifinal games for the first time. The championship game will again be televised on ESPN2.

The Cats have earned the No. 2 seed and will face either No. 7 seed LSU or No. 10 seed Alabama on Friday at 3:30 p.m. EST.

The complete 2011 SEC Women’s Basketball Postseason Awards follow.

First Team All-SEC

Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Porsha Phillips, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
Glory Johnson, Tennessee
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt

Second Team All-SEC

C’eira Ricketts, Arkansas
Sarah Watkins, Arkansas
Jasmine James, Georgia
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Kayla Melson, Ole Miss
Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State
Iesia Walker, South Carolina
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee

All-Freshman Team

Kaneisha Horn, Alabama
Jaterra Bonds, Florida
Khaalidah Miller, Georgia
Bernisha Pinkett, Kentucky
Valencia Mcfarland, Ole Miss
Meighan Simmons, Tennessee
Jasmine Lister, Vanderbilt
Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt

All-Defensive Team

Tierney Jenkins, Alabama
Meredith Mitchell, Georgia
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
A’dia Mathies, Kentucky
Katherine Graham, LSU
Glory Johnson, Tennessee

Coach of the Year

Pat Summitt, Tennessee

Player of the Year

Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee

Freshman of the Year

Meighan Simmons, Tennessee

Defensive Player of the Year

Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky

6th Woman of the Year

Stephanie Holzer, Vanderbilt

Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Mary Kathryn Govero, Mississippi State