Four Georgia women’s basketball players earned Southeastern Conference honors as voted on by coaches.
Anne Marie Armstrong was voted a first-team All-SEC selection and to the conference’s All-Defensive team; Jasmine Hassell was voted a second-team All-SEC selection and to the SEC’s Communicty Service Team; and Erika Ford was voted to the All-Freshman team.
“I’m very pleased we had players recognized by the other coaches in our conference for what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Georgia coach Andy Landers said in a news release. “I’m even more pleased with our basketball team and what it has been able to accomplish this season. Any time you have a successful team, a byproduct of that is that individuals are going to be recognized for what they have done. We have been a very balanced basketball team all year. I’m glad that coaches can’t vote for their own players. I would have struggled with a decision like that because all of our players have had outstanding years and contributed greatly to our team’s success.”
Armstrong, a 6-3, forward/guard from the Wesleyan School in Norcross, leads the Lady Bulldogs in scoring in SEC play, averaging 13.1 points per game. In statistics for SEC games, Armstrong ranks among the league’s top-10 individuals in nine of 13 categories kept: No. 3 in steals; No. 6 in rebounding; No. 6 in defensive rebounds; No. 6 in assists; No. 6 in minutes played; No. 7 in scoring; No. 7 in blocks; No. 8 in FG pct.; and No. 9 in assists-to-TOs.
Hassell, a 6-2, forward from Wilson Central High School in Lebanon, Tenn., is Georgia’s leading scorer overall at 13.1 points per game. Hassell has reached double figures in 22 of 29 games this season and has paced the Lady Bulldogs in scoring during 10 games and in rebounding in eight contests. She currently ranks No. 18 in the nation in field goal percentage at .536.
Ford, a 5-9, freshman from Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta, has started 12 games this season, including six SEC contests. She scored a career-high 18 points against Northeastern in her first career start and also led the Lady Bulldogs offensively with 17 points against No. 6 Kentucky. For the regular season, Ford is averaged 5.6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.
James, a 5-9, guard from Barlett High School in Memphis, Tenn., is ranked among the SEC’s leaders in scoring (No. 25), assists (No. 4), minutes played (No. 5), assists (No. 6) and assist-to-TOs (No. 7). Within the community, James helped raise funds to purchase and then assemble 60 bicycles for worthy children at Christmas; assisted with ³Adopt a Family² at Barrow Elementary, an Athletic Association partner in education; read to local children including Malcom Bridge Elementary, helped coordinate UGA¹s participation in the SEC¹s ³Together We Can² initiative and assisted with fundraising for the Northeast Georgia Food Banks.
No. 16-ranked Georgia finished the regular season with a 22-7 record and an 11-5 mark in SEC play. The Lady Bulldogs are the No. 3 seed for this week’s SEC Tournament in Nashville and will open play there on Friday night at 10 p.m. ET when they face the winner of Thursday’s game between sixth-seeded South Carolina and 11th-seeded Alabama.
