HAMMOND, La. – After helping the Southeastern Louisiana to its best-ever finish in the Southland Conference standings, Lady Lions Morgan Carrier and Hailey Giaratano were named to the 2020-21 All-Southland Conference Women's Basketball Teams presented by Ready Nutrition, the league office announced on Tuesday.
 
Carrier and Giaratano were both named to the third team. Their selections marked the first time since 2013-14 that Southeastern put multiple players on the all-conference team.
 
"Both Morgan and Hailey have worked extremely hard and are very deserving of this recognition," Guzzardo said. "They've put in the time and effort necessary to be all-conference players. It's all about the team's success for both of them, but we're very pleased to see them honored as individuals."
 
Carrier finished the regular season atop the team with 12.1 points per game and enters the postseason as one of the top three-point shooters in the Southland. The New Iberia, Louisiana native leads the league with a 45.7 three-point field goal percentage, while also ranking among the conference's best in scoring (13^th), field goal percentage (45.9, 14^th) and three-point field goals per game (2.3, 3^rd).
 
Carrier has posted 12 games of double-digit scoring, including three games of 20-plus points. In her fourth year with the program, Carrier ranks among the Southland leaders in three-point field goals made (132, 5^th) and attempted (368, 6^th), as well as three-point field goal percentage (35.9, 7^th).
 
"Morgan has grown on and off the court during her time here," Guzzardo commented. "She's playing with such confidence and is shooting well with no hesitation."
 
Giaratano made huge strides from her debut season and is second on the team with 11.0 points per contest. The Ponchatoula, Louisiana native sits on the Southland individual leaderboard in scoring (17^th), field goal percentage (46.4, 13^th), three-point field goal percentage (40.0, 7^th), three-point field goals made (1.4, 11^th), assists (2.1, 22^nd), blocks (0.5, 20^th) and minutes per game (31.3, 8^th).
 
Giaratano has been SLU's most consistent performer in her first season as a starter, scoring in double figures in 10 of 18 games this season. On Feb. 15, she was named the Southland Conference Player of the Week after a career-high 22-point showing in an 82-63 win over Nicholls.
 
"Hailey's versatility has been so valuable for us this year," Guzzardo stated. "We asked her to play every position at some point this year and we could always count on her to do her job well. Hailey has really put in the work to become a complete player for us."
 
Sam Houston's Amber Leggett was tabbed the Southland Player of the Year, while Lamar took home Defensive Player (Jadyn Pimentel) and Freshman (Sabria Dean) of the Year accolades. Central Arkansas' Lucy Ibeh was named the Southland's top newcomer, while Mark Kellogg was named Coach of the Year after leading Stephen F. Austin to a regular season conference championship.
 
Leggett and Ibeh were joined on the first team by Stephen F. Austin's Stephane Visscher, Micaela Wilson of Lamar and Nicholls' Chelsea Cain. The ACU duo of Alyssa Adams and Anna McLeod, SFA's Aiyana Johnson and Zya Nugent, as well as Houston Baptist's Timia Jefferson.
 
Carrier and Giaratano were joined on the third team by McNeese's Divine Tanks, as well as the Sam Houston duo of Faith Cook and Courtney Cleveland.
 
Up Next
Southeastern will be the No. 2 seed in this week's Southland Conference Tournament and receives a bye into the semifinals. SLU will await either ACU, UIW, Nicholls or Sam Houston on Saturday at 4 p.m. Saturday's winner will compete in Sunday's 1 p.m. championship game with the winner advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
 
All of the first four rounds of the Southland Tournament will be televised on ESPN+. Sunday's championship game will air on CBS Sports Network.
 
2020-21 All-Southland Conference Women's Basketball Teams
 
Player of the Year: Amber Leggett, Sam Houston
Defensive Player of the Year: Jadyn Pimentel, Lamar
Freshman of the Year: Sabria Dean, Lamar
Newcomer of the Year: Lucy Ibeh, Central Arkansas
Coach of the Year: Mark Kellogg, Stephen F. Austin
 
First Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Lucy Ibeh – Central Arkansas – F – Jr. – Lagos, Nigeria
Micaela Wilson – Lamar – F – Jr. – Rayville, La.
Chelsea Cain – Nicholls – F – So. – Prairieville, La.
Amber Leggett – Sam Houston – F – Jr. – Navarre, Fla.
Stephanie Visscher – Stephen F. Austin – G – Jr. – Lulea, Sweden 
 
Second Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Alyssa Adams – Abilene Christian – F/C – Sr. – San Antonio, Texas
Anna McLeod – Abilene Christian – G – Sr. – Houston, Texas
Timia Jefferson – Houston Baptist – G – So. – Mansfield, Texas
Aiyana Johnson – Stephen F. Austin – F/C – Jr. – Lee's Summit, Mo.
Zya Nugent – Stephen F. Austin – G – So. – Denison, Texas
 
Third Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Morgan Carrier – Southeastern Louisiana – G – Sr. – New Iberia, La.
Hailey Giaratano – Southeastern Louisiana – G – So. – Ponchatoula, La.
Divine Tanks – McNeese – F – Jr. – Lake Charles, La.
Courtney Cleveland – Sam Houston – F – Sr. – Arlington, Texas
Faith Cook – Sam Houston – G – Sr. – Baytown, Texas
 
Southland Conference All-Defensive Team
Name – School – Pos. – Cl. – Hometown
Lucy Ibeh – Centeral Arkansas – F – Jr. – Lagos, Nigeria
Jadyn Pimentel – Lamar – G – Sr. – St. Louis, Mo.
Courtney Cleveland – Sam Houston – F – Sr. – Arlington, Texas
Aiyana Johnson – Stephen F. Austin – F/C – Jr. – Lee's Summit, Mo.
Stephanie Visscher – Stephen F. Austin – G – Jr. – Lulea, Sweden
 
2020-21 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
March 10-14, 2021 – Merrell Center – Katy, Texas
 
First Round – Wednesday, March 10
11 a.m. – Game 1 – No. 8 Houston Baptist vs. No. 9 McNeese (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 2 – No. 7 Abilene Christian vs. No. 10 UIW (ESPN+)
 
Second Round – Thursday, March 11
11 a.m. – Game 3 – No. 5 Central Arkansas vs. Game 1 Winner (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 4 – No. 6 Nicholls vs. Game 2 Winner (ESPN+)
 
Third Round – Friday, March 12
11 a.m. – Game 5 – No. 4 Lamar vs. Game 3 Winner (ESPN+)
2 p.m. – Game 6 – No. 3 Sam Houston vs. Game 4 Winner (ESPN+)
 
Semifinals – Saturday, March 13
1 p.m. – Game 7 – No. 1 Stephen F. Austin vs. Game 5 Winner (ESPN+)
4 p.m. – Game 8 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana vs. Game 6 Winner (ESPN+)
 
Championship – Sunday, March 14
1 p.m. – Game 9 – Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (CBS Sports Network)
   
SOCIAL MEDIA
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