Summah Evans Named SoCon Defensive Player Of The Year
2/28/2023 3:34:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Four Mercer players earn All-Conference recognition
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer Bears were well represented in the Southern Conference's postseason awards, as announced Tuesday afternoon.
Summah Evans was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, Amoria Neal-Tysor was named First Team All-SoCon by the coaches, Erin Houpt was named Third Team All-SoCon by the media, and Enjulina Gonzalez was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Evans, in her first season with the Bears after transferring from North Florida, proved to be a force defensively. Usually guarding the opposing team's best player, Mercer relied on Evans to be an impact on both ends of the floor.
Despite missing the last four games of the regular season, in conference play, Evans led the team in rebounding, at 7.6 rebounds per game. That ranks fourth best in the SoCon. She also added seven steals and five blocks in conference play.
Evans is the fourth consecutive Mercer player to be named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year after Shannon Titus earned the recognition the previous three seasons.
Amoria Neal-Tysor led the SoCon in scoring in conference play, averaging 19.6 points per game. Neal-Tysor saw an improvement in her 3-point shooting as she led the conference in SoCon play at 49.0 percent going 24-for-49 from behind the arc. She was seventh in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.3 percent.
She had 10 games this season in which she scored at least 20 points. She scored a career-high 42 points at Furman on Feb. 23.
Erin Houpt averaged 12.8 points per game during conference play. She led the country in the regular season in free throw percentage at 93.75 percent.
Houpt finished second in the conference in SoCon play behind Neal-Tysor in 3-point percentage at 41.5 percent. In conference play she finished tied for second on the team with 24 steals and third on the team with 54 assists.
Enjulina Gonzalez finished the regular season averaging 10.0 points per game but picked up her play against SoCon opponents as she averaged 13.4 points per game, third most on the team.
Gonzalez has been one of the most efficient shooters in the SoCon this season as she shot 54.4 percent from the floor during conference play, second best in the SoCon.
Gonzalez was named SoCon Player of the Week twice during the season. She had a career-high 34 points on 15-for-21 shooting at Chattanooga on Jan. 14.
Coaches All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams Player of the Year Rachael Rose, So., G, Wofford Freshman of the Year Raven Thompson, F, Chattanooga Defensive Player of the Year Summah Evans, Jr., F, Mercer Coach of the Year Brenda Mock Brown, ETSU Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner Kyla Allison, Gr., G, Western Carolina
First team Jiselle Thomas, Gr., ETSU
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, Gr., Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, So., Wofford Second team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Grace van Rij, Gr., Furman Raven Thompson, Fr., Chattanooga Kyla Allison, Gr., Western Carolina
Jackie Carman, 5th, Wofford All-defensive team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Summah Evans, Jr., Mercer Khalis Cain, Jr., UNCG
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Helen Matthews, Jr., Wofford All-freshman team Jaelyn Acker, Furman Enjulina Gonzalez, Mercer Raven Thompson, Chattanooga Carly Heidger, Samford Masyn Marchbanks, Samford SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams Player of the Year Andrea Bailey, Sr., G, Samford Freshman of the Year Raven Thompson, F, Chattanooga Coach of the Year Jimmy Garrity, Wofford First team Jiselle Thomas, Gr., ETSU
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, Gr., Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, So., Wofford Second team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Grace van Rij, Gr., Furman
Akira Wiggins, Gr., UNCG Raven Thompson, Fr., Chattanooga
Jackie Carman, 5th, Wofford Third team Erin Houpt, G, Mercer
Khalis Cain, UNCG
Sussy Ngulefac, So., Samford Kyla Allison, Gr., Western Carolina Lilly Hatton, Sr., Wofford
All-freshman team Journee McDaniel, ETSU
Jaelyn Acker, Furman
Enjulina Gonzalez, Mercer
Raven Thompson, Chattanooga
Masyn Marchbanks, Samford
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media
at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Summah Evans was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, Amoria Neal-Tysor was named First Team All-SoCon by the coaches, Erin Houpt was named Third Team All-SoCon by the media, and Enjulina Gonzalez was named to the All-Freshman Team.
Evans, in her first season with the Bears after transferring from North Florida, proved to be a force defensively. Usually guarding the opposing team's best player, Mercer relied on Evans to be an impact on both ends of the floor.
Despite missing the last four games of the regular season, in conference play, Evans led the team in rebounding, at 7.6 rebounds per game. That ranks fourth best in the SoCon. She also added seven steals and five blocks in conference play.
Evans is the fourth consecutive Mercer player to be named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year after Shannon Titus earned the recognition the previous three seasons.
Amoria Neal-Tysor led the SoCon in scoring in conference play, averaging 19.6 points per game. Neal-Tysor saw an improvement in her 3-point shooting as she led the conference in SoCon play at 49.0 percent going 24-for-49 from behind the arc. She was seventh in the conference in field goal percentage at 47.3 percent.
She had 10 games this season in which she scored at least 20 points. She scored a career-high 42 points at Furman on Feb. 23.
Erin Houpt averaged 12.8 points per game during conference play. She led the country in the regular season in free throw percentage at 93.75 percent.
Houpt finished second in the conference in SoCon play behind Neal-Tysor in 3-point percentage at 41.5 percent. In conference play she finished tied for second on the team with 24 steals and third on the team with 54 assists.
Enjulina Gonzalez finished the regular season averaging 10.0 points per game but picked up her play against SoCon opponents as she averaged 13.4 points per game, third most on the team.
Gonzalez has been one of the most efficient shooters in the SoCon this season as she shot 54.4 percent from the floor during conference play, second best in the SoCon.
Gonzalez was named SoCon Player of the Week twice during the season. She had a career-high 34 points on 15-for-21 shooting at Chattanooga on Jan. 14.
Coaches All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams Player of the Year Rachael Rose, So., G, Wofford Freshman of the Year Raven Thompson, F, Chattanooga Defensive Player of the Year Summah Evans, Jr., F, Mercer Coach of the Year Brenda Mock Brown, ETSU Ann Lashley Inspiration Award Winner Kyla Allison, Gr., G, Western Carolina
First team Jiselle Thomas, Gr., ETSU
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, Gr., Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, So., Wofford Second team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Grace van Rij, Gr., Furman Raven Thompson, Fr., Chattanooga Kyla Allison, Gr., Western Carolina
Jackie Carman, 5th, Wofford All-defensive team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Summah Evans, Jr., Mercer Khalis Cain, Jr., UNCG
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Helen Matthews, Jr., Wofford All-freshman team Jaelyn Acker, Furman Enjulina Gonzalez, Mercer Raven Thompson, Chattanooga Carly Heidger, Samford Masyn Marchbanks, Samford SoCon Sports Media Association (SCSMA) All-Southern Conference Women's Basketball Teams Player of the Year Andrea Bailey, Sr., G, Samford Freshman of the Year Raven Thompson, F, Chattanooga Coach of the Year Jimmy Garrity, Wofford First team Jiselle Thomas, Gr., ETSU
Amoria Neal-Tysor, Gr., Mercer
Andrea Bailey, Sr., Samford
Yazz Wazeerud-Din, Gr., Chattanooga
Rachael Rose, So., Wofford Second team Kendall Folley, So., ETSU
Grace van Rij, Gr., Furman
Akira Wiggins, Gr., UNCG Raven Thompson, Fr., Chattanooga
Jackie Carman, 5th, Wofford Third team Erin Houpt, G, Mercer
Khalis Cain, UNCG
Sussy Ngulefac, So., Samford Kyla Allison, Gr., Western Carolina Lilly Hatton, Sr., Wofford
All-freshman team Journee McDaniel, ETSU
Jaelyn Acker, Furman
Enjulina Gonzalez, Mercer
Raven Thompson, Chattanooga
Masyn Marchbanks, Samford
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Basketball, please follow the Bears on social media
at @Mercer_WBB (Twitter), /MercerWBB (Facebook) and @Mercer_wbb (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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