ST. LOUIS -- Two Missouri State freshmen have been named to Missouri Valley Conference women's basketball postseason teams, as Casey Garrison was selected First Team All-MVC, while Jaleshia Roberson joined Garrison on the MVC's All-Freshman Team, the league office announced today.
Garrison becomes just the fifth MSU freshman to be named to the conference's first team and the 20th Lady Bear overall to receive the honor. Her selection extends a stretch in which at least one Missouri State player has received first-team honors in 19 of the last 20 seasons. Garrison’s 462 points is the 24th-best total in Missouri State history, while her 15.9 ppg. scoring average is the second-highest mark for a true freshman in all of Division I women’s basketball. Last weekend, the 5-11 guard became the Lady Bears’ No. 2 freshman scorer since MSU made the move to Division I status in 1982. Garrison, who was also named to the league's All-Freshman Team, passed Kari Koch (456) for the second spot on the list with her 14-point effort in the Lady Bears' regular-season finale at UNI last Saturday, and trails only NCAA Division I scoring leader Jackie Stiles, who poured home 618 points during the 1997-98 campaign.
A four-time MVC Newcomer of the Week honoree, Garrison is also the school's second-leading freshman shot-blocker (0.8 bpg.) and enters the tournament among MSU's all-time top five freshmen in assists (3.1 apg.) and rebounds (6.1 rpg.) as well. She is on target to become the first Lady Bear freshman to lead MSU in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots over a complete season. She has led MSU in scoring 20 times, assists 16 times, steals 13 times and rebounds 12 times.
Roberson was one of five MVC freshmen honored on the league's all-rookie squad after posting the second-highest scoring and assist totals on the club during the regular season. The Grandview, Mo., product, who was named MVC Newcomer of the Week on Feb. 2, enters the tournament with an 8.4 ppg. average, as well as the team's second-best assist per-game mark (2.3). She totaled a career-high 26 points at Southern Illinois on Jan. 31, and has led the club in scoring five times, posted the top steal total nine times and the highest assist total on eight occasions this season.
The Valley will announce the recipients of its specialty awards, including the Jackie Stiles Player of the Year, Rawling's Coach of the Year and the Freshman, Newcomer and Defensive Players of the Year at its postseason banquet Thursday (March 12) afternoon in St. Charles, Mo.
