2008 All-Conference USA Women's Basketball Teams Announced

IRVING, TEXAS (March 4, 2008) UAB's Diamond Rogers and SMU's Janielle Dodds, two seniors who have left an indelible mark on Conference USA women's basketball, were among those named to the 2008 All-Conference USA teams, the league announced Tuesday. Both players captured first-team honors along with UTEP's Jareica Hughes, Houston's Twiggy McIntyre and Southern Miss' Pauline Love. The league also announced All-Freshmen and All-Defensive teams.

C-USA women's basketball coaches, sports information directors and selected media members participated in the voting.

Rogers, an All-C-USA pick last season, led the league in scoring most of the season and finished reguar season averaging 16.7 points per game. The 5-11 guard from Jackson, Miss., also pulled down 8.3 rebounds per game and dished out 3.32 assists per game. Rogers, who leads the Blazers in multiple statistical categories, will finish her career with more than 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

Dodds captured conference honors each of the past three seasons. Once again, the 6-3 forward from Fairfax, Va., was the dynamic force driving SMU's offense this season. Dodds averaged 14.9 points per game and shot 47.6 percent from the field as the Mustangs averaged a league-high 74 points per game. She also broke the school's all-time scoring and rebounding records in February.

Hughes, a 5-3 sophomore, quickly established herself as one to watch last season when she was named the league's freshman and newcomer of the year in 2007. The Southfield, Mich., native had another stellar year, while leading UTEP to the C-USA regular season title. Hughes led the Miners in points (13.1) and assists per game (3.2), and shot 43.3 percent from the floor. One of the league's top defensive players also sports 74 steals this season.

C-USA coaches knew McIntyre would make an immediate impact after transferring to Houston. The 5-5 sharpshooter from Sapulpa, Okla., lived up to her billing in her only season of eligibility at UH. McIntyre made a league-high 75 of 192 3-point shots (.391) and ranked among the top 12 with 1.77 steals per game. At one point, she made 29 consecutive free throws and shot 86.6 percent from the stripe overall.

Love, a 6-0 sophomore, gobbled up practically every rebound in sight this season for Southern Miss. The Luxora, Ark., native ranked seventh nationally in rebounds per game (11.0), which puts her among some of the nation's best frontcourt players. She was one of two players in the league to grab at least 20 rebounds in one game. Love also led the conference in scoring (16.8) and shot 46.4 percent from the floor in her first season of C-USA action.

UTEP's Natasha Lacy and Izabela Piekarska were both named to the All-C-USA second team. Both were among the league's top 20 scoring leaders, and Lacy ranked fifth in assists per game (5.04). East Carolina also had a pair of second-team honorees. Jasmine Young averaged 14.4 points per game and ranked second in assists per game (6.38). LaCoya Terry was one of the league's best ball handlers and dished out 111 assists. Rice's Valeriya Berezhynska, an all-around threat for the Owls, rounds out the secong team and she also recorded the program's first triple-double in a win over Tulane.

Youngsters dominated the All-C-USA third team. UCF freshman Tia Lewis was placed on the third team along with Tulsa sophomore Larrissa Williams and SMU sophomore Delisha Wills. UAB's Crystal McFadden and Houston's Tye Jackson, two seniors, and Tulane junior Ashley Langford also earned third team honors as well.

2007-08 All-C-USA Women's Basketball Teams


First Team
Janielle Dodds, SMU, P, 6-3, Sr., Fairfax, Va./West Springfield
Jareica Hughes, UTEP, G, 5-3, Soph., Southfield, Mich./Southfield-Lathrup
Pauline Love, Southern Miss, F, 6-0, Soph., Luxora, Ark./Jones County JC
Twiggy McIntyre, Houston, G, 5-5, Jr., Sapulpa, Okla./Kansas State
Diamond Rogers, UAB, F, 5-11, Sr., Jackson, Miss./Murrah


Second Team
Valeriya Berezhynska, Rice, C, 6-4, Sr., Miami, Fla./Northwest Christian Academy
Natasha Lacy, UTEP, G, 5-10, Sr., El Paso, Texas/TCU
Izabela Piekarska, UTEP, C, 6-5, Sr., Warszawa, Poland/SMS Sport
LaCoya Terry, East Carolina, G, 5-10, Jr., Hephzibah, Ga./Hephzibah
Jasmine Young, East Carolina, G, 5-5, Jr., Richmond, Va./Monacan


Third Team
Tye Jackson, Houston, G, 5-10, Sr., Houston, Texas/Purdue
Ashley Langford, Tulane, G, 5-5, Jr., Harrisburg, Pa./Harrisburg
Tia Lewis, UCF, F/C, 6-0, Fr., Poulan, Ga./Worth County
Crystal McFadden, UAB, G, 5-10, Sr., New York, N.Y./Murry Bergtraum
Larrissa Williams, Tulsa, F/C, 6-3, Soph., Little Rock, Ark./Robinson
Delisha Wills, SMU, F, 5-10, Soph., Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite


All-Freshman Team
Emma Cannon, UCF, F, 6-2, Rochester, N.Y./School of the Arts
Cobilyn Hill, Houston, C, 6-3, Houston, Texas/Eisenhower
Tia Lewis, UCF, F/C, 6-0, Poulan, Ga./Worth County
Amanda Peterson, UAB, G, 5-10, Homewood, Ala./Homewood
Courtney Taylor, Houston, G/F, 6-0, Crockett, Texas/Crockett


All-Defensive Team
Casey Baker, Marshall, G, 5-8, Jr., Bradenton, Fla./Lincoln Trail
Chanel Johnson, Tulsa, F/C, 6-3, Jr., Tulsa, Okla./Alabama
Natasha Lacy, UTEP, G, 5-10, Sr., El Paso, Texas/TCU
Sharee Shepherd, SMU, G, 5-10, Sr., Houston, Texas/Dobie
Jasmine Young, East Carolina, G, 5-5, Jr., Richmond, Va./Monacan