Trio of Cyclones Earn All-Big 12 Honors

DALLAS, Texas ? Iowa State's Heather Ezell, Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte all garnered All-Big 12 women's basketball honors, the conference announced Monday. Ezell led the way as an All-Big 12 Second-Team pick, while Lacey and Bolte each earned honorable mention.

“The Big 12 is the best league in the country and to be mentioned as one of the better players in this conference is a great honor,” ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said. “Heather had a great senior year and I am happy the coaches recognized that contribution to our team's success. It was also nice to see some kind of recognition for Aus (Lacey) and Kelsey on the seasons they have had.”

Ezell earned Big 12 accolades for the first time in her career. She has led Iowa State with 12 points per game, which ranks 18th in the conference. She has hit 78 three-pointers to rank seventh on ISU's single-season chart. The Springfield, Mo., native has passed out 93 assists and leads the team with 57 steals. She ranks 21st in the NCAA with her 2.6 three-pointers per game and is 64th nationally in three-point percentage (.377).

Ezell has scored in double figures 18 times this season, including a season-high 25 points against fourth-ranked Texas A&M. The senior has hit three or more treys in 17 contests and has drained five or more on six occasions this season. She joined the 1,000-point club this season and moved into Iowa State's top 10 career scoring list in the regular-season finale against Kansas with 1,290 career points.

Lacey earned her second straight Big 12 honor, after being named to the All-Big 12 Second Team last season. She has posted 10.1 points per game and leads the Cyclones with 3.6 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the conference. The Canberra, Australia, native has been one of ISU's top rebounders this season, averaging 4.9 boards per game. She reached the 1,000-point career mark in the home game against Nebraska. The junior has scored in double figures 13 times this season and has hit the 20-point mark three times.

Bolte was named an honorable-mention pick after being picked for the All-Rookie Team last season. She has averaged 9.8 points per game and is shooting 41.4 percent from the field and 38.3 percent from three-point range. The Ida Grove, Iowa, native is ISU's second leading three-point shooter with 49 treys this season. She has hit three or more three-point field goals in seven games, including going 6-for-9 in a loss at Baylor. The sophomore has been the Cyclones' top free-throw shooter, hitting 86.5 percent from the charity stripe.

“Overall we did not have a significant presence on the all-conference selections, so I think that speaks to the overall effort of our team to have had the kind of success we have this season,” Fennelly said.

Iowa State will next travel to Oklahoma City to play in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. The No. 3 seed Cyclones will play the winner of Texas and Missouri at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Cox Convention Center. The game will be televised by FSN.

Oklahoma's Courtney Paris was named the Big 12 Player of the Year for the third consecutive season, while OU head coach Sherri Coale earned Big 12 Coach of Year accolades after leading the Sooners to a 15-1 Big 12 record and the regular-season title. Oklahoma's Whitney Hand was named Freshman of the Year and OU's Nyeshia Stevenson joined Baylor's Melissa Jones as co-winners of the Sixth Man Award. Texas A&M's Danielle Gant earned Defensive Player of the Year and the Aggies' Tanisha Smith was named Newcomer of the Year.

All-Big 12 First Team (alphabetical by school)
Danielle Wilson,Baylor
Danielle McCray, Kansas
Shalee Lehning, Kansas State
Ashley Sweat, Kansas State
Ashley Paris, Oklahoma
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Andrea Riley, Oklahoma State
Danielle Gant,Texas A&M
Takia Starks, Texas A&M

All-Big 12 Second Team (alphabetical by school)
Brittany Spears, Colorado
Heather Ezell, Iowa State
Marlies Gipson, Kansas State
Brittainey Raven, Texas
Dominic Seals, Texas Tech

All-Big 12 Honorable Mention (alphabetical by school)
Rachel Allison, Jessica Morrow and Jhasmin Player (Baylor); Kara Richards (Colorado); Alison Lacey and Kelsey Bolte (Iowa State); Alyssa Hollins (Missouri); Cory Montgomery (Nebraska); Whitney Hand (Oklahoma); Shaunte' Smith (Oklahoma State); and Carla Cortijo and Kathleen Nash (Texas),

Big 12 All-Defensive Team (alphabetical by school)
Danielle Wilson, Baylor
Yvonne Turner, Nebraska
Courtney Paris, Oklahoma
Danielle Robinson, Oklahoma
Danielle Gant, Texas A&M

Big 12 All-Freshman Team (alphabetical by school)
Alyssa Fressle, Colorado
Whitney Hand, Oklahoma
Ashleigh Fontenette, Texas
Sydney Carter, Texas A&M
Kierra Mallard, Texas Tech

Players Mentioned

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Kelsey Bolte

Heather Ezell

Heather Ezell

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

Alison Lacey

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