The University of Mississippi Athletics
Thomas Named To All-SEC First Team
3/2/2010 | Women's Basketball
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Following another outstanding season on the hardwood, Ole Miss All-America candidate Bianca Thomas was selected to the All-SEC first team for the second consecutive season as voted on by the league's coaches the conference office announced Tuesday.
She joins former Ole Miss greats Cynthia Autry, Yolanda Moore, Kimsey O'Neal and assistant coach Armintie Price as the only five players in school history to make the All-SEC first team twice. Price is the only player in school history to earn All-SEC first team accolades three different times.
Thomas finished the regular season ranked first in the SEC and ninth in the nation with 21.1 points per game. She has led the conference in scoring since the opening day of the season and is bidding to become just the third player in school history to average over 20 points per game for an entire season.
The Henderson, Tenn., native put together 17 games this season of at least 20 points and is the SEC's active leader with 27 career 20-point games. Earlier this season, Thomas scored a career-high 42 points and set a new Tad Smith Coliseum scoring record in helping the Rebels to an 80-71 upset win over LSU. In her most recent game, Thomas tallied 34 points against fourth-ranked Tennessee in the final game of the regular season.
She also became the first Rebel in the last 14 years to score at least 20 points in five straight games when she accomplished the feat Dec. 20-Jan. 17. Thomas enters the SEC Tournament with 1,452 career points and ranks 11th all-time at Ole Miss and needs just 24 more points to pass Sheila Sullivan and move into 10th place.
Thomas has also proven herself to be one of the top long range shooters in the nation this season, ranking second in the SEC and 12th in the nation with 3.0 three-pointers per game. In fact, she has sunk at least three 3-pointers in 18 games this season, which includes seven against both UALR and Centenary to tie the school record for the most treys in a single game.
She has connected on 88 three-pointers thus far this season and has set a new school record for the most treys in a season, surpassing the 73 she hit last season as a junior.
Quite possibly her greatest three-pointer of the season came Jan. 24 when the Rebels upset then ninth-ranked Georgia 66-65 in Stegeman Coliseum. With the Rebels down by two points, Thomas hit the game-winning three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left to give Ole Miss its first ever win in Athens.
Thomas also leads the Rebels with 5.4 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage (.829) and minutes per game (35.1).
In addition to her place on the All-SEC first team, Thomas is also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and is on the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List and the Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Ole Miss opens play in the SEC Tournament Thursday morning at 11 a.m. (CT) when the ninth-seeded Rebels take on eighth-seeded South Carolina from The Arena at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga.
All-SEC First Team
Allison Hightower*, LSU
Angie Bjorklund*, Tennessee
Victoria Dunlap*, Kentucky
Bianca Thomas, Ole Miss
Alexis Rack, Mississippi State
Ashley Houts, Georgia
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
All-SEC Second Team
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Valeria Nainima, South Carolina
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Merideth Marsh, Vanderbilt
Kelsey Bone, South Carolina
All-Defensive Team
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Allison Hightower, LSU
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Chanel Mokango, Mississippi State
All-Freshman Team
A'dia Mathies*, Kentucky
Kelsey Bone*, South Carolina
Jasmine James*, Georgia
Tiffany Clarke*, Vanderbilt
Jennifer George, Florida
Jasmine Hassell, Georgia
Morgan Toles, Auburn
Elan Brown, Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year
Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Sixth Woman of the Year
Alyssia Brewer, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
* - Unanimous selection
She joins former Ole Miss greats Cynthia Autry, Yolanda Moore, Kimsey O'Neal and assistant coach Armintie Price as the only five players in school history to make the All-SEC first team twice. Price is the only player in school history to earn All-SEC first team accolades three different times.
Thomas finished the regular season ranked first in the SEC and ninth in the nation with 21.1 points per game. She has led the conference in scoring since the opening day of the season and is bidding to become just the third player in school history to average over 20 points per game for an entire season.
The Henderson, Tenn., native put together 17 games this season of at least 20 points and is the SEC's active leader with 27 career 20-point games. Earlier this season, Thomas scored a career-high 42 points and set a new Tad Smith Coliseum scoring record in helping the Rebels to an 80-71 upset win over LSU. In her most recent game, Thomas tallied 34 points against fourth-ranked Tennessee in the final game of the regular season.
She also became the first Rebel in the last 14 years to score at least 20 points in five straight games when she accomplished the feat Dec. 20-Jan. 17. Thomas enters the SEC Tournament with 1,452 career points and ranks 11th all-time at Ole Miss and needs just 24 more points to pass Sheila Sullivan and move into 10th place.
Thomas has also proven herself to be one of the top long range shooters in the nation this season, ranking second in the SEC and 12th in the nation with 3.0 three-pointers per game. In fact, she has sunk at least three 3-pointers in 18 games this season, which includes seven against both UALR and Centenary to tie the school record for the most treys in a single game.
She has connected on 88 three-pointers thus far this season and has set a new school record for the most treys in a season, surpassing the 73 she hit last season as a junior.
Quite possibly her greatest three-pointer of the season came Jan. 24 when the Rebels upset then ninth-ranked Georgia 66-65 in Stegeman Coliseum. With the Rebels down by two points, Thomas hit the game-winning three-pointer with 5.1 seconds left to give Ole Miss its first ever win in Athens.
Thomas also leads the Rebels with 5.4 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the SEC in free throw percentage (.829) and minutes per game (35.1).
In addition to her place on the All-SEC first team, Thomas is also a finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award and is on the State Farm Wade Trophy Watch List and the Naismith Trophy Midseason Watch List.
Ole Miss opens play in the SEC Tournament Thursday morning at 11 a.m. (CT) when the ninth-seeded Rebels take on eighth-seeded South Carolina from The Arena at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga.
All-SEC First Team
Allison Hightower*, LSU
Angie Bjorklund*, Tennessee
Victoria Dunlap*, Kentucky
Bianca Thomas, Ole Miss
Alexis Rack, Mississippi State
Ashley Houts, Georgia
Jence Rhoads, Vanderbilt
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
All-SEC Second Team
Alli Smalley, Auburn
Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
LaSondra Barrett, LSU
Valeria Nainima, South Carolina
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Merideth Marsh, Vanderbilt
Kelsey Bone, South Carolina
All-Defensive Team
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Allison Hightower, LSU
Kelley Cain, Tennessee
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Chanel Mokango, Mississippi State
All-Freshman Team
A'dia Mathies*, Kentucky
Kelsey Bone*, South Carolina
Jasmine James*, Georgia
Tiffany Clarke*, Vanderbilt
Jennifer George, Florida
Jasmine Hassell, Georgia
Morgan Toles, Auburn
Elan Brown, Vanderbilt
Coach of the Year
Matthew Mitchell, Kentucky
Player of the Year
Victoria Dunlap, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
A'dia Mathies, Kentucky
Defensive Player of the Year
Armelie Lumanu, Mississippi State
Sixth Woman of the Year
Alyssia Brewer, Tennessee
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Angie Bjorklund, Tennessee
* - Unanimous selection
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