Friday, March 2, 2018

Bates, Wells capture GCAC end-of-season honors


NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana's Mikayla Bates and Essence Wells received Gulf Coast Athletic Conference end-of-season awards in women's basketball Thursday.

Bates was voted to the All-Defensive team, and Wells was second-team All-GCAC.

Bates, a 5-foot-7 junior guard from Baton Rouge, La., and a University Lab School graduate, ranks seventh in NAIA Division I and second in the conference with 2.9 steals per game.

Wells, a 5-10 sophomore guard from Irving, Texas, and a MacArthur High School graduate, leads the Gold Nuggets with 10.2 points per game and 36 made 3-pointers. She is third on her team with 43 steals and 34 assists.

The basketball honors are not the first in Wells's family. Her mother, Cassandra Lumpkins Johnson, was named to the Sun Belt Conference all-time team in 2005. Her uncle, Tony Harris, was American South Conference Player of the Year in 1989-90 and played parts of three seasons in the NBA. Johnson and Harris achieved their honors at the University of New Orleans.

The XULA women are 14-11 and seeded third in the GCAC Tournament, which will begin Friday. The Gold Nuggets will play sixth seed Tougaloo at 2 p.m. at SUNO's The Castle.

Ed Cassiere, Assistant Athletic Director for Communications
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
twitter.com/xulagold

www.facebook.com/xulagold 

No comments: