BIRMINGHAM — Alabama A&M University guard Kalia Walker was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Year, the conference announced Tuesday during the league’s Media Day.
Walker also earned All-SWAC Preseason First Team honors and forward/center Jaida Belton was selected to the second team.
Also Tuesday, the Bulldogs received five first-place votes and was chosen second in the SWAC preseason poll.
The Alabama A&M women’s basketball program is coming off a historic season that saw the Bulldogs win 21 games for the first time during the Division I era. The Bulldogs picked up 224 points to claim the second spot as Southern, with 265 points and 14 first-place votes, was selected to win the conference.
Walker, a first team All-SWAC selection a year ago, averaged a team-best 14.6 points and 2.7 rebounds. She surpassed the 1,000-point plateau toward the end of the regular season and shot 37.9% from the field and 81.4% from the free-throw line. The Alexander, Ark., native registered a career-high 30 points in a non-conference win at North Alabama last season.
Belton, who comes to Alabama A&M from Texas Southern, averaged 6.9 points, 6.8 rebounds and nearly 1 block per game last season. She registered 10 double-digit scoring performances, including a season-high 21 points against Prairie View A&M. In addition, she had seven double-digit rebounding games, highlighted by a 14-board night against East Texas A&M. Belton also recorded six double-double games (points and rebounds).
Alabama A&M begins the season with an exhibition game Oct. 27 when UAH visits the Event Center in the return of the Mayor’s Cup.
The regular season tips off with back-to-back home games: Nov. 5 against Talladega and Nov. 7 against Ole Miss.
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