March 4, 2008

DALLAS (SMU) - Three members of the SMU women's basketball team - senior post Janielle Dodds, sophomore forward Delisha Wills and senior forward Sharee Shepherd - were honored for their standout seasons by earning spots on the 2008 All-Conference USA teams.

Dodds earned all-conference honors for the fourth time in four seasons after averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game for an SMU team that led Conference USA in scoring, at 74 points per game. She also led the team in rebounding (7.8 per game), broke the all-time SMU records in each category, and finished the regular season with 37 double-doubles - more than twice the total of any other player in Conference USA. She was named Conference USA Player of the Week Nov. 26 and shared the honor last week.

Wills was the Mustangs' second-leading scorer (12.6 points per game) and third-leading rebounder (5.4 per game) and finished third on the team in steals (40) and third in blocked shots (18). She had five double-doubles this season, and scored in double figures 17 times, including a career-high 23 points in SMU's victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

Shepherd emerged as the Mustangs' top defensive player, finishing the regular season second in Conference USA in steals with 85, the sixth-highest single-season total in SMU history. Heading into the postseason, she now has 237 steals in her career, third on SMU's all-time list, and she broke the all-time SMU single-game steals record with nine thefts at UAB. Shepherd also led the Mustangs with a career-best 27 blocked shots, tied for fifth on the team in scoring (7.6 points per game) and finished second on the team in rebounding (6.6 per game).

The Mustangs head to Orlando, Fla., this week, for the Conference USA Tournament, having earned the second seed - and a first-round bye - as a result of their 21-8 regular-season record. The 21 regular-season victories are the most ever for the Ponies, who will face the winner of Thursday's Memphis-Tulsa game at 11 a.m. (central time) Friday in a game that can be heard on KKGM (1630 AM).

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

Delisha Wills, SMU, F, 5-10, Soph., Mesquite, Texas/Mesquite

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

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM

Sharee Shepherd, SMU, G, 5-10, Sr., Houston, Texas/Dobie

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

Jasmine Young, East Carolina, G, 5-5, Jr., Richmond, Va./Monaca

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