BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The 2012-13 Lady Topper Basketball season officially came to a close on Monday evening at the annual banquet to honor the team in a joint event with the men’s basketball team in the Jim and Jackie Harbaugh Stadium Club at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium.
Sophomores Alexis Govan and Chastity Gooch were named Most Valuable Player’s for the 2012-13 season. Govan, a First Team All-Conference selection and All-Tournament Team selection at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in 2013, put together one of the most prolific scoring years in program history. Govan’s 20.3 points per game were the fourth most in program history for a single season while her 671 points rank as the sixth most in school history in a single season. Govan was also named the team’s Most Improved Offensive Player. Gooch, the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection, is the only player in school history to record 400 points (532), 300 rebounds (374), 50 steals (77) and 50 blocks (61) in a single season.
Junior Bianca McGee was named the Most Improved Defensive Player. McGee averaged 12.5 points while compiling 29 steals and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Lady Toppers in her inaugural season on the Hill. Junior Chaney Means was awarded the Hustle Award. Means, the longest tenured member of the Lady Toppers, posted a 50-to-28 assist-to-turnover ratio during Sun Belt Conference regular season play this year. Her 50 assists in league play were a team high. She also registered 51 steals for the team.
Freshman Micah Jones was given the Toughness Award. As the starting point guard for the Lady Toppers this season, Jones compiled 68 assists to just 51 turnovers while averaging 5.7 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Freshman Jalynn McClain was awarded the 6th Man Award. McClain averaged 6.4 points for WKU in 2012-13 and was fourth on the team in scoring despite coming off the bench for the majority of the season. WKU’s four leading scorers (Govan, Gooch, McGee and McClain) all shot .406 or better from the field. It marked the first time WKU has finished the season with its top four scorers shooting .400 or better since 1998-99.
In her first year as coach of the Lady Toppers, head coach Michelle Clark-Heard engineered one of the nation’s best turnarounds. She led WKU to 13 additional wins over the prior season, setting the Sun Belt Conference record for largest winning improvement. She also helped WKU to eight additional conference wins over the prior season, tying the league record. Following the regular season, she was named the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year.
For complete coverage of Lady Topper Basketball, visit www.wkusports.com.
2012-13 Team Awards
Most Improved Offense: Alexis Govan
Most Improved Defense: Bianca McGee
Most Valuable Player Award: Alexis Govan
Most Valuable Player Award: Chastity Gooch
Hustle Award: Chaney Means
Toughness Award: Micah Jones
6th Man Award: Jalynn McClain
###
