Jan. 25, 2016
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina senior guard Tiffany Mitchell and sophomore forward A’ja Wilson are among 16 NCAA Division I women’s basketball players on the USBWA’s Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List, the U.S. Basketball Writers Association announced today. South Carolina is one of three teams with multiple selections to the midseason list. Both Gamecocks are also on the Wooden Award Midseason 20 released earlier this month.
A two-time All-American and SEC Player of the Year, Mitchell continues to dominate games at crunch time for the Gamecocks, most recently in taking over the fourth quarter of No. 2/2 South Carolina’s win at No. 10/10 Mississippi State Sunday evening. In SEC play, she ranks fourth in the conference with 16.3 points per game on 41.4 percent field goal shooting (7th) and 78.0 percent free throw shooting (11th). Impacting games beyond her own scoring, Mitchell is also 11th in the league with 3.1 assists per conference outing and ninth in steals at 2.1 per league game. She is also among the league’s overall top 10 in scoring, coming in ninth at 14.9 points per game.
Wilson has been a force on offense and on the glass, recording an SEC-best nine double-doubles this season as part of 16 double-digit scoring games and 10 outings of 10 ore more rebounds this season. She is sixth in the SEC in scoring at 16.0 points per game and fourth in rebounding with a 9.2 average. Her 53.3 percent field goal shooting is second-best in the conference. Wilson leads the league in blocked shots per game (3.3), including back-to-back eight-block outings against then-No. 9/9 Kentucky and then-No. 15/11 Texas A&M.
First handed out in 1987-88, the USBWA’s national player of the year award was named for former UCLA four-time All-American Ann Meyers Drysdale in 2012. Winners include South Carolina head coach Dawn Staley, who was the organization’s national player of the year in 1991 and 1992.
No. 2/2 South Carolina is back in action at Colonial Life Arena on Thu., Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. when they host Ole Miss to open a stretch of four home games in the next five outings.
USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award Midseason Watch List
Jillian Alleyne, Sr. F, Oregon
Rachel Banham, Sr., G, Minnesota
Nina Davis, Jr., F, Baylor
Diamond DeShields, So., G, Tennessee
Moriah Jefferson, Sr., G, Connecticut
Niya Johnson, Baylor
Jonquel Jones, George Washington
Kelsey Mitchell, So., G, Ohio State
Tiffany Mitchell, Sr., G, South Carolina
Kelsey Plum, Jr., G, Washington
Azura Stevens, So., F/G, Duke
Breanna Stewart, Sr., F, Connecticut
Morgan Tuck, Jr., F, Connecticut
Victoria Vivians, So., F, Mississippi State
Shatori Walker-Kimbrough, Jr., G, Maryland
A’ja Wilson, So., F, South Carolina
