ROCK HILL, S.C. - Following its South Atlantic Conference regular season championship for the second straight season, Anderson University women's basketball racked up the SAC postseason honors, headlined by senior guard Alexy Mollenhauer's second consecutive Player of the Year honor and Jonathon Barbaree's second Coach of the Year award in as many years, while senior Madison Baggett and junior Taylor Hair earned All-SAC First Team and All-SAC Honorable Mention, respectively, announced by the conference office on Thursday morning.
Mollenhauer captured her second straight SAC Player of the Year honor. The native of Lindale, Texas notched 18 doubles-doubles while scoring at least 20 points or more in 15 games this season. She became Anderson's All-Time career rebounder and is six rebounds away from becoming the first player in Anderson history to reach the 1000-rebound milestone. In addition to being named Player of the Year, Mollenhauer landed on the All-SAC First Team for the second consecutive season, while also earning Honorable Mention following her sophomore season and Freshman of the Year after the 2016-17 regular season.
Mollenhauer finished regular season play leading the conference with a 20.0 points per game average and finishing second in rebounds with 12.4 per contest. The 6-0 foot guard led the conference in minutes played (35.4) and was ranked fourth in three-point percentage (41.2).
Barbaree claims his second SAC Coach of the Year Honor after leading the Trojans to their second straight SAC regular season title. In four seasons with the Black and Gold, Barbaree holds a stellar 96 – 25 overall record including a 70-14 conference record. For his efforts a season ago (30-3, 20-0 SAC), Barbaree also garnered Region Coach of the Year Honors.
Barbaree led the Trojans to an unblemished 15-0 regular season home win streak which is part of an astonishing 33-game home win streak which dates back to January, 20 2018. AU closed the season as the conference's top defensive team leading the league in team FG% Defense (33.3), Team Scoring Defense (57.7) while grabbing a league leading 1,322 rebounds over the course of the season.
First Team honoree, Baggett, had another outstanding season for the Black and Gold. On the year, Baggett has averaged 10.6 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game while leading the league in Assist-to-Turnover ration (1.92). The native of Huntsville, Ala. reached the 1000-point milestone and became AU's All-Time assist leader. The gritty point guard recorded her second career triple-double (19pts, 10rbs, 10ast) in a SAC road win at Lenoir-Rhyne. Baggett has started every game this season averaging 35.0 minutes per game and currently ranks fifth all-time at AU with 114 career starts.
Hair's season was headlined by a career-high 22 points and 10 rebounds, on 9-of-11 shooting, including 4-of-4 from behind the arc against Peach Belt Conference powerhouse Lander. The Orlando, Fla. native has scored in double-digits 13 times with eight plus rebounds on four occasions. Hair has recorded two or more blocked shots 10 times moving up the AU All-Time block list to the sixth slot with 93 career blocks. Hair closed the regular season by scoring in double-figures in AU's last four of five games while collecting 10 assists and 10 blocked shots during the span.
The Trojans entered the SAC Tournament as the top seed defeating eighth-seeded Lincoln Memorial, 59-57, on Wednesday evening to advance to the SAC semifinals on Saturday. Anderson will faceoff with the fifth-seeded Indians from Catawba. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 pm. at Timmons Arena on the campus of Furman University.
2019-20 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference Agate
First Team
Alexy Mollenhauer, Anderson
Kayla Marosites, Carson-Newman
Mia Long, Tusculum
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Madison Baggett, Anderson
Taisha DeShazo, Catawba
Second Team
Teliyah Jeter, Wingate
Erin Houser, Coker
Madeline Hardy, Lenoir-Rhyne
Keli Romas, Newberry
Caitlyn Ross, UVa-Wise
Kelsey McDermott, Newberry
Honorable Mention
Taylor Hair, Anderson
Kasey Johnson, Tusculum
De'Ja Marshall, Mars Hill
Kristian Eanes, Queens
Addison Byrd, Carson-Newman
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
All-Freshman
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Caitlyn Ross, UVa-Wise
Hannah Clark, Wingate
Nia Vanzant, UVA-Wise
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Player of the Year
Alexy Mollenhauer, Anderson
Freshman of the Year
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Defensive Player of the Year
Teliyah Jeter, Wingate
Coach of the Year
Jonathon Barbaree, Anderson
Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Alexy Mollenhauer, Anderson, 20.0
Three-Pointers Per Game – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman, 2.7
Rebounds Per Game – Kayla Marosites, Carson-Newman, 12.5
Blocked Shots Per Game – Teliyah Jeter, Wingate, 3.55
Field Goal Percentage – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman, 50.0
Assists Per Game – Caitlyn Ross, UVa-Wise, 5.8
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Madison Baggett, Anderson, 1.92
Steals Per Game – Mia Long, Tusculum, 3.54
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage – Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman, 45.7
Free Throw Percentage – Kayla Marosites, Carson-Newman, 89.2
Team Scoring Offense – Carson-Newman, 84.5
Team Steals – Tusculum, 352
Team Field Goal Percentage – Carson-Newman, 44.6
Team FG Percentage Defense – Anderson, 33.3
Team Assists – Carson-Newman, 522
Team Rebounds – Anderson, 1,322
Team Blocked Shots – Wingate, 163
Team Three-Point FG Percentage – Carson-Newman, 39.1
Team Scoring Defense – Anderson, 57.7
Team Free Throw Percentage – Carson-Newman, 79.6
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Carson-Newman, 1.14
