The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
03.02.2016 | Women's Basketball
Senior Imani Boyette and sophomore Brooke McCarty were named to the first team.
AUSTIN, Texas – Five University of Texas women's basketball players have earned recognition as part of the All-Big 12 Conference Teams, which were voted on by the league's 10 head coaches and announced on Wednesday.
Senior center Imani Boyette, who earlier in the day on Wednesday was named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, and sophomore guard Brooke McCarty were named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Sophomore guard Ariel Atkins was named All-Big 12 Second Team. Senior guards Empress Davenport and Celina Rodrigo were All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selections. Boyette also was a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.
Boyette and McCarty each lead Texas in scoring with 12.0 points per game apiece.
Boyette, who has recorded 12 double-doubles on the season, is the team leader in rebounding (9.1 rebounds per game) and blocked shots (3.14 blocks per game). She has started all 29 games this season for the Longhorns and is shooting 51.7 percent from the field this season. Boyette leads the Big 12 in blocked shots with 3.1 on the season and 3.4 in conference play. She averaged 9.5 rebounds per game in league play. Boyette ranks 25th in school history in career scoring (1,304), sixth in career rebounding (978) and is second all-time in career blocked shots (290). With 22 more rebounds, she would become the first player in UT school history to have recorded more than 1,000 points, more than 1,000 rebounds and more than 200 blocked shots. She would also become just the fifth member of the school's 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club.
McCarty has started 28 of the team's 29 games this season and is averaging a squad-best 30.6 minutes per game. She averages 12.0 points per game in both all games combined and conference games only. McCarty has led her team in scoring on 10 occasions this season and has scored in double figures in 19 of 29 games this year. In conference games only, she ranks second in the league in three-point field-goal percentage at 44.9.
Atkins, who had to sit out the first nine games of the season due to injury, has placed in 20 games this season with seven starts. All games combined, she is averaging 10.0 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. In conference games only, she is averaging 10.2 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. Atkins has scored in double figures in 10 of 20 games played this season. In league games only, she is shooting 54 percent from the field, which ranks fifth in the Big 12 Conference.
Davenport, who has started 27 of 29 games this season, is averaging 7.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. She has dished out 68 assists this season – third on the team – and has recorded 12 steals. In conference games only, she averages 7.3 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. She has regularly matched up defensively against each opponent's best perimeter player.
Rodrigo, the team's starting point guard, leads Texas in assists per game with 3.76 in all games combined and 4.28 assists per game in league games only. She ranks third in the Big 12 Conference (league games only) in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.6. She is fifth in assists per game. Rodrigo is second on the team in minutes played at 28.4 and also averages 3.8 points per game and 4.3 assists per game (all games combined).
The second-seeded Longhorns begin Big 12 Conference Tournament play on Saturday, facing either seventh-seeded TCU or 10th-seeded Kansas in the quarterfinal round, which is set for 6 p.m. CT.
2016 Phillips 66 Big 12 Women's Basketball Awards
Coach of the Year: Jim Littell, Oklahoma State
Player of the Year: Brittney Martin, Oklahoma State
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Imani Boyette, Texas and Brittney Martin, Oklahoma State
Newcomer of the Year: Alexis Jones, Baylor
Freshman of the Year: Tynice Martin, West Virginia
Sixth-Man Award: Vionise Pierre-Louis, Oklahoma
All-Big 12 First Team (honors listed alphabetical by school)
Nina Davis**+! (Baylor)
Niya Johnson+ (Baylor)
Alexis Jones** (Baylor)
Seanna Johnson (Iowa State)
Breanna Lewis% (Kansas State)
Brittney Martin**+ (Oklahoma State)
Zahna Medley**+! (TCU)
Imani Boyette+^ (Texas)
Brooke McCarty (Texas)
Bria Holmes**+! (West Virginia)
All-Big 12 Second Team
Kindred Wesemann (Kansas State)
Kaylon Williams% (Oklahoma)
Kaylee Jensen (Oklahoma State)
Ariel Atkins (Texas)
Lanay Montgomery (West Virginia)
All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Kristy Wallace (Baylor), Jadda Buckley (Iowa State), Bridget Carleton (Iowa State), Peyton Little (Oklahoma), AJ Alix (TCU), Empress Davenport (Texas) Celina Rodrigo (Texas), Ivonne CookTaylor (Texas Tech), Arielle Roberson (West Virginia)
** Unanimous First Team Selection (coaches cannot vote for own players, unanimous denotes voted first team by other nine coaches)
+ 2014-15 All-Big 12 First Team Selection
% 2014-15 All-Big 12 Second Team Selection
! 2013-14 All-Big 12 First Team Selection
^ 2013-14 All-Big 12 Second Team Selection
Big 12 All-Defensive Team
Niya Johnson (Baylor)
Breanna Lewis (Kansas State)
Brittney Martin (Oklahoma State)
Imani Boyette** (Texas)
Lanay Montgomery (West Virginia)
Big 12 All-Freshman Team
Kalani Brown (Baylor)
Beatrice Mompremier** (Baylor)
Bridget Carleton** (Iowa State)
Japreece Dean (Texas Tech)
Tynice Martin (West Virginia)
** Unanimous Selection (coaches cannot vote for own players, unanimous denotes selected for team on other nine ballots)
