Autumn Lau, Yvonte Neal and Kayla MacKenzie represented national champion Oklahoma City University on the NAIA Division I women’s basketball all-American team.
Neal, a junior from Spring Valley, Calif., made the second team, while Lau, a senior from Mount Wolf, Pa., and MacKenzie, a senior from Peoria, Ariz., became honorable-mention all-Americans for the Stars.
MacKenzie also took NAIA scholar-athlete acclaim for the second time in her OCU career. MacKenzie has notched a 3.58 cumulative grade-point average while pursuing a nursing degree.
Neal produced 17.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.65 steals per contest for the Stars. She capped her season with 36 points, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and four 3-pointers, while shooting 10-for-11 from the foul line in OCU’s 80-76 victory over second-ranked Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) in the national title game Tuesday in Frankfort, Ky. That performance gave Neal season highs in scoring, field goals (11), field-goal attempts (24), free throws made and 3-point tries (11).
In 2013-14, Neal garnered Sooner Athletic Conference co-player of the year and newcomer of the year. Her 82.2 percent free-throw percentage ranks 18th in the NAIA and third in the league, while her scoring average ranked second in the SAC. Neal’s double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds against Oklahoma Baptist helped the Stars win the SAC regular-season title. Neal picked up SAC player of the week for Jan. 21-26.
In the national tournament, Neal averaged 19.4 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.00 steals per contest. She became all-tournament in the SAC Tournament and the NAIA Tournament.
Lau notched 11.6 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.07 blocked shots this season. Her season bests were 28 points and five 3s at Oklahoma Baptist on Jan. 16, 17 rebounds vs. Xavier (La.) on Nov. 29, five assists vs. St. Gregory’s on Feb. 18 and five blocks vs. Langston on Nov. 28.
A second-team all-SAC performer, Lau tied for fourth in the SAC with seven double-doubles. Lau took conference player of the week for Feb. 24-March 2. She accumulated 347 points, 218 rebounds, 41 assists, 32 blocks and 22 steals this season. Lau is a mass communications major and the daughter of Brian and Shelby Lau.
MacKenzie recorded 12.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.07 steals in 2013-14. She posted 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.60 steals during OCU’s national-tournament run – including 21 points, seven rebounds, five assists and five 3-pointers as she was named NAIA Tournament most valuable player.
As a senior, MacKenzie snagged second-team all-SAC while ranking fifth in the SAC in steals average and third in the league and 21st nationally in assists per game.
In her career, she provided OCU with 1,052 points, 287 rebounds, 240 assists, 179 steals and 144 treys. She became an NAIA scholar-athlete, honorable-mention all-SAC, academic all-SAC and SAC player of the week as a junior. She set her career highs of 29 points vs. Texas Wesleyan, nine rebounds at St. Gregory’s, 12 assists at Southwestern Assemblies of God and seven steals at USAO. MacKenzie is the daughter of Kelly and Susana MacKenzie.
OCU bid farewell to four seniors this season. These seniors helped the Stars go 117-13 record with four regular-season conference championships, an unbeaten conference season in 2012-13, the 2012 league tournament title two national titles over the past four years.
Autumn Huffman, a senior from Midwest City, Okla., accrued 534 points, 330 rebounds, 62 assists, 107 steals, 20 blocks and seven double-doubles as a Star. She has her place in the OCU record book after she tied the single-game record with 12 steals against Central Christian on Nov. 24, 2012 in Shawnee. Her career-best performances include 20 points against Northwood on Jan. 6 and 13 rebounds at Southwestern Assemblies of God on Jan. 13. She supplied OCU with 11.8 points and 6.6 rebounds a game and two of her three double-doubles this season during the national tournament. Huffman is a sociology major and the daughter of George and April Finley and Herman Huffman.
Cara Pugh, a senior from Oklahoma City, put herself into the Stars’ record book with a record-tying eight 3-pointers vs. Texas Wesleyan on Jan. 23. Her career highs include 24 points against Texas Wesleyan, 12 rebounds vs. Pikeville (Ky.) and five steals at USAO on Feb. 7, 2013. She has supplied OCU with 748 points, 386 rebounds, 88 assists, 96 steals, 22 blocks and 70 treys. Pugh is an elementary education major and the daughter of Paul and Cathy Pugh.
The Stars went 27-4 with the program’s seventh national championship and 15th SAC regular-season championship this season. OCU owns national titles won in 1988, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2012 and now, 2014.
NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball All-Americans
FIRST TEAM
Hayley Newby, Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.); Grace Alonso de Armino, Freed-Hardeman; Andrea Howard, Georgetown (Ky.); Deonica McCormick, Mobile (Ala.); Alannah Sheets, Shawnee State (Ohio); Jacquelyn Marshall, The Master’s (Calif.); Nicole Ballestero, Vanguard (Calif.); Taylor Belmont, Vanguard; Alli Blake, Westminster (Utah); Kelsie Sampson, Westmont (Calif.).
SECOND TEAM
Adijat Adams, Biola (Calif.); Heather English, Columbia (Mo.); Kourtney Tyra, Georgetown (Ky.); Andrina Rendon, Hope International (Calif.); Lynette Holmes, Langston; Jalissa Council, Oklahoma Baptist; Yvonte Neal, Oklahoma City; Sarah Ogoke, Southern Poly (Ga.); Angeleigh Davis, Wayland Baptist (Texas); Esther Lee, Westmont.
THIRD TEAM
Brianna Garza, Baker (Kan.); Ariel Wilson, Belhaven (Miss.); Daizah Kimberland, Campbellsville (Ky.); Brooke Forsythe, Cumberlands (Ky.); Sierra Shipley, John Brown (Ark.); Tanis Fuller, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho); Shelby Kohrmann, Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.); Kelsey Balcom, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.); Portia Craft, Tougaloo (Miss.); Danisha Shaw, Wiley (Texas).
HONORABLE MENTION
Autumn Lau, Oklahoma City; Kayla MacKenzie, Oklahoma City.
Player of the year: Nicole Ballestero, Vanguard.
Phyllis Holmes coach of the year: Latricia Trammell, Oklahoma City.
Leave a Reply