Feb. 29, 2008

Liz Biland

IRVING, Texas -- Five seniors, a junior and a sophomore make up the 2008 Conference USA Women's Basketball All-Academic Team as every player earned a 3.2 cumulative grade point average or better and is a starter or key reserve. Rice and Southern Miss had two selections, while Houston, SMU and UTEP each placed one representative on the academic squad.

Southern Miss junior guard/forward Kendra Reed was the only repeat selection from the inaugural squad in 2007. The Bay St. Louis, Miss., native was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District First Team selection and a three-time Dean's List honoree. The biological sciences major also participated in the NCAA National Leadership Conference and was named to the Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Second Team. She leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.462) and ranks sixth in free throw efficiency (.831).

Reed and teammate Liz Biland have led the Golden Eagles to a 16-11 overall record and 7-7 in league play. Biland is a four-time selection to the Dean's List and the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. The senior center from Racine, Wis., has made 74 consecutive starts and was named the team's Most Improved Player. She is averaging 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds, while maintaining a 3.56 GPA in sport administration.

In addition to this selection, Rice senior Kadie Riverin and sophomore Tara Watts were selected to the C-USA Commissioner's Honor Roll. Riverin, a kinesiology/sports medicine major, ranks 14th in the conference in scoring with 12.6 ppg. The Ottawa, Ontario native became the 14th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau for her career. Watts, who also hails from Canada from the hometown of Surrey, British Columbia, is the Owls¡¯ third-leading scorer (8.0 ppg). She scored a career-high 20 points at Tulane on Feb. 14. Watts carries a 3.55 GPA as a psychology major.

Senior Twiggy McIntyre of Houston is a 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection. As the Cougars¡¯ leading scorer (15.3 ppg), she was named the WBCA Honorable Mention Player of the Month in January. She leads the league in free throw percentage, hitting .866 and three©\point field goals made per game, averaging 2.38 per contest. The Sapulpa, Okla., native is also a two-time C-USA Player of the Week selection and maintains a 3.71 GPA as an exercise science major.

Janielle Dodds, a graduate student working on a master's degree in liberal studies at SMU, leads the Mustangs in both scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (7.8 rpg). She ranks fifth in Conference USA for points (14.9 ppg) and eighth for rebounds (7.8 rpg). The Fairfax, Va., native was named to the 2007 All-Conference USA second-team and was a Kodak Freshman All-America selection. The team co-captain, Dodds is on track to break school records for career points and rebounds. She already received a bachelor's of arts in markets and culture.

UTEP senior guard Natasha Lacy rounds out the All-Academic Team with a 3.66 GPA in education. The El Paso, Texas, native has led the Miners to a 24-2 overall record and 15-0 in conference play, as one of only two players to start all 26 games. Lacy leads her team with 3.12 steals per game, which is among the Top 20 performances this season nationally. She also ranks second on the team in scoring (12.7 ppg) and assists (5.0 apg), and third in rebounding (6.0 rpg).

Each of these seven student-athletes will lead their respective teams into the 2008 Conference USA Women¡¯s Basketball Championship March 6-9 at the new UCF Arena in Orlando, Fla.

2008 CONFERENCE USA WOMEN¡¯S BASKETBALL ALL©\ACADEMIC TEAM


Name	         School	     Class	GPA	Major
Twiggy McIntyre	Houston	     Senior	3.71	Exercise Science
Kadie Riverin	Rice	     Senior	3.26	Kinesiology/Sports Medicine
Tara Watts	Rice	     Sophomore	3.55	Psychology/Pre-Med
Janielle Dodds	SMU 	     Senior	3.48	Liberal Studies Master's
Liz Biland	Southern Miss  Senior	3.56	Sport Administration
Kendra Reed*	Southern Miss  Junior	3.44	Biological Sciences
Natasha Lacy	UTEP	     Senior	3.66	Education
*Repeat Selection