The University of Mississippi Athletics
Women’s Basketball Duo Picks Up SEC Postseason Accolades
3/1/2022 | Women's Basketball
Shakira Austin Earns First Team Honors, Angel Baker Named Sixth Woman of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Ole Miss women's basketball's Shakira Austin (First-Team All-SEC) and Angel Baker (Sixth Woman of the Year) have been honored by the league's coaches after a stellar 2021-22 regular season as the SEC announced its yearly conference awards Tuesday.
For the second straight season, Austin finds her name on First-Team All-SEC being the eighth Rebel to earn consecutive honors and the first since Tia Faleru did so in 2014 & 2015.
Austin built off of a dominant junior year to carry that momentum into her senior campaign, as the 6-5 forward from Fredericksburg, Virginia, has been key for Ole Miss at both ends of the court. The Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 member paces the Rebels averaging 15.0 points, 8.9 rebounds while adding 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game after starting in all 29 contests during the regular season.
As one of the best centers in the nation, the Lisa Leslie Award Top-10 Finalist is one of seven active players in Division I with 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. She currently leads the SEC in active rebounds with a total of 1,038 and eclipsed the 200-career block mark this season, sitting at a total of 232. With nine double-doubles on the year, Austin has reached the double-digit point mark in 21 games and recorded eight 20-point performances.
The productivity for Austin increased once SEC play hit, averaging 16.1 points, 9.3 rebounds points per game while shooting at an efficient 47.2 percent clip from the field. Some of her best work occurred against conference foes with a season-high 26 points against Tennessee, along with 16 rebounds against Arkansas to set an SJB Pavilion record.
For the first time in program history, a Rebel has been named as the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year with Baker earning the distinction. In her first year donning a Rebel uniform after transferring to Ole Miss after three seasons at Wright State, Baker was not afraid to make some noise appearing as a reserve in 20 out of her 27 games.
Off the bench, Baker came in to score in double-figures 11 times, including four 20-point outings. A season-high 24 points against Texas Tech at the West Palm Beach Invitational led to her earning Ole Miss' only SEC Weekly honors of the season, garnering SEC Co-Player of the Week accolades on Dec. 28.
The Indianapolis product ranks third on the team in points adding 10.2 per game and has been clutch from beyond the arc with 22 triples. In her second game as a Rebel, Baker put on a show against MVSU shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Her 80% clip from three was the highest by a Rebel with five or more attempts since Shandricka Sessom went 5-of-6 for 83.3 percent against Delaware State in 2017.
Ole Miss (22-7, 10-6 SEC) heads into this week's SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, following its best finish in conference play since 1993-94 as the No. 4 seed. The Rebels await the winner of game four to face off against in the quarterfinals on Friday (March 4) at approximately 2:25 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
First Team All-SEC
Kiara Smith Florida
Jenna Staiti Georgia
Rhyne Howard Kentucky
Khayla Pointer LSU
Shakira Austin Ole Miss
Aliyah Boston South Carolina
Destanni Henderson South Carolina
Jordan Horston Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brittany Davis Alabama
Amber Ramirez Arkansas
Aicha Coulibaly Auburn
Que Morrison Georgia
Alexis Morris LSU
Anastasia Hayes Mississippi St
Aijha Blackwell Missouri
Hayley Frank Missouri
Zia Cooke South Carolina
Tamari Key Tennessee
All-Freshman Team
Samara Spencer Arkansas
Jersey Wolfenbarger Arkansas
Alberte Rimdal Florida
Jada Walker Kentucky
Denae Carter Mississippi State
Sara Puckett Tennessee
Sacha Washington Vanderbilt
Iyana Moore Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Kiara Smith Florida
Que Morrison Georgia
Aliyah Boston South Carolina
Tamari Key Tennessee
Jordyn Cambridge Vanderbilt
Coach – Dawn Staley
Player – Aliyah Boston
Defensive Player – Aliyah Boston
Freshman – Samara Spencer
Sixth-Woman – Angel Baker
Scholar-Athlete – Mikayla Coombs
For the second straight season, Austin finds her name on First-Team All-SEC being the eighth Rebel to earn consecutive honors and the first since Tia Faleru did so in 2014 & 2015.
Austin built off of a dominant junior year to carry that momentum into her senior campaign, as the 6-5 forward from Fredericksburg, Virginia, has been key for Ole Miss at both ends of the court. The Wooden Award Late Season Top-20 member paces the Rebels averaging 15.0 points, 8.9 rebounds while adding 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.9 blocks per game after starting in all 29 contests during the regular season.
As one of the best centers in the nation, the Lisa Leslie Award Top-10 Finalist is one of seven active players in Division I with 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds. She currently leads the SEC in active rebounds with a total of 1,038 and eclipsed the 200-career block mark this season, sitting at a total of 232. With nine double-doubles on the year, Austin has reached the double-digit point mark in 21 games and recorded eight 20-point performances.
The productivity for Austin increased once SEC play hit, averaging 16.1 points, 9.3 rebounds points per game while shooting at an efficient 47.2 percent clip from the field. Some of her best work occurred against conference foes with a season-high 26 points against Tennessee, along with 16 rebounds against Arkansas to set an SJB Pavilion record.
For the first time in program history, a Rebel has been named as the SEC Sixth Woman of the Year with Baker earning the distinction. In her first year donning a Rebel uniform after transferring to Ole Miss after three seasons at Wright State, Baker was not afraid to make some noise appearing as a reserve in 20 out of her 27 games.
Off the bench, Baker came in to score in double-figures 11 times, including four 20-point outings. A season-high 24 points against Texas Tech at the West Palm Beach Invitational led to her earning Ole Miss' only SEC Weekly honors of the season, garnering SEC Co-Player of the Week accolades on Dec. 28.
The Indianapolis product ranks third on the team in points adding 10.2 per game and has been clutch from beyond the arc with 22 triples. In her second game as a Rebel, Baker put on a show against MVSU shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Her 80% clip from three was the highest by a Rebel with five or more attempts since Shandricka Sessom went 5-of-6 for 83.3 percent against Delaware State in 2017.
Ole Miss (22-7, 10-6 SEC) heads into this week's SEC Women's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, following its best finish in conference play since 1993-94 as the No. 4 seed. The Rebels await the winner of game four to face off against in the quarterfinals on Friday (March 4) at approximately 2:25 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
Follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWBB, Facebook at Ole Miss WBB and on Instagram at Ole MissWBB. You can also follow head coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin on Twitter at @YolettMcCuin
First Team All-SEC
Kiara Smith Florida
Jenna Staiti Georgia
Rhyne Howard Kentucky
Khayla Pointer LSU
Shakira Austin Ole Miss
Aliyah Boston South Carolina
Destanni Henderson South Carolina
Jordan Horston Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Brittany Davis Alabama
Amber Ramirez Arkansas
Aicha Coulibaly Auburn
Que Morrison Georgia
Alexis Morris LSU
Anastasia Hayes Mississippi St
Aijha Blackwell Missouri
Hayley Frank Missouri
Zia Cooke South Carolina
Tamari Key Tennessee
All-Freshman Team
Samara Spencer Arkansas
Jersey Wolfenbarger Arkansas
Alberte Rimdal Florida
Jada Walker Kentucky
Denae Carter Mississippi State
Sara Puckett Tennessee
Sacha Washington Vanderbilt
Iyana Moore Vanderbilt
All-Defensive Team
Kiara Smith Florida
Que Morrison Georgia
Aliyah Boston South Carolina
Tamari Key Tennessee
Jordyn Cambridge Vanderbilt
Coach – Dawn Staley
Player – Aliyah Boston
Defensive Player – Aliyah Boston
Freshman – Samara Spencer
Sixth-Woman – Angel Baker
Scholar-Athlete – Mikayla Coombs
Players Mentioned
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