2022-23 @ASUNWBB Season in Review
2022-23 @ASUNWBB Season in Review
Statistics
ATLANTA – With another season of ASUN Conference Women's Basketball in the books, we take a look back at the highlights and accomplishments of the 14 league teams following the 2022-23 campaign. FGCU once again represented the ASUN in the NCAA Tournament after securing the league's automatic bid following its 10th ASUN Championship victory.
The Eagles completed their season with a 33-4 record (17-1 ASUN), which included winning their first-round NCAA Championship game as a No. 12 seed against th No. 5 seed Washington State (74-63) before falling to the No. 4 seed Villanova in the second round. That effort included a 13th ASUN Conference regular-season title, 10th ASUN Championship banner and ninth NCAA Tournament berth.
Top-seeded FGCU again clashed with Liberty in the ASUN Championship Final in Fort Myers, Fla., back on March 11. The Flames regrouped near the middle of the season and went on a massive winning streak en route to the league's postseason finale. Liberty (16-2 ASUN) beat the Eagles for the first time in history back in the regular season and ended the year at 24-9 overall following its second-straight appearance in the WNIT.
FGCU's Tishara Morehouse (15.6 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.4 RPG), who was named a Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-America Honorable Mention, headlined the 2022-23 Women's Basketball Postseason Honors and Awards as the Player of the Year. She was joined by Eagles' Head Coach Karl Smesko on the list after he secured the Coach of the Year award once again. It is his sixth-straight honor, and 13th overall, after leading FGCU to the regular-season title and the #1 seed in the ASUN Championship. Sha Carter, who joined Morehouse on the ASUN All-Conference First Team, was also selected as the Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Be sure to follow @ASUNWBB on Twitter for live updates throughout the season.
Austin Peay
- Austin Peay put together a strong debut season in the conference after finishing the year at 17-12 overall and 11-6 inside ASUN play
- The Governors were able to earn a No. 4 seed in the ASUN Championship and made an appearance in the league's semifinal round after beating Eastern Kentucky
- APSU's Shamarre Hale was voted as the Unanimous Sixth Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season; she averaged 12.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG and 69.1 FG%
Bellarmine
Twitter: @buknightsWBB
- Bellarmine secured just nine wins on the year, five of which came in league play, but built a foundation for success looking ahead to next season
- The Knights had one of the most dominant forces in Women's Basketball last season in the form of six-foot-six freshman post player Gracie Merkle
- The Mt. Washington, Ky., native (15.1 PPG, 11.0 RPG) was named Freshman of the Year and All-Conference Second Team; she was No. 1 in the NCAA in field-goal percentage at 70.2
Central Arkansas
Twitter: @ucawbb
- Central Arkansas closed out its latest slate of games with eight victories overall, including three positive outcomes during league competition
- The lead Sugar Bear, Head Coach Sandra Rushing, stepped away from the program she led for the past 11 years; Rushing had 184 career victories at UCA
- Heading into 2023-24, the team will now be guided by Tony Kemper, who had been the head coach at Marshall since 2017; he was a men's assistant at UCA from 2006-10
Eastern Kentucky
Twitter: @EKUWBB
- Eastern Kentucky nearly got to the 20-win plateau after putting up an 18-14 mark (11-7 ASUN), en route to another appearance in the postseason
- The Colonels were dominant at home with a 12-3 record on the year, and were paced offensively by ASUN Newcomer of the Year Antwainette Walker
- The Lisle, Ill., native was atop the conference in scoring at 21.0 PPG and was second in the ASUN in rebounding at 9.4 RPG; Walker was also All-Conference First Team
No. 24 FGCU
Twitter: @FGCU_WBB
- FGCU completed its season with a 33-4 record, which included winning a first-round NCAA Tournament game as a No. 12 seed against fifth-seeded Washington State
- The Eagles finished with a No. 24 national ranking in the final USA Today/Coaches Top 25 Poll; they were the only non-Power 5/Big East team to be ranked in the final poll
- During 2022-23, the club claimed its 13th ASUN Conference regular-season title, 10th ASUN Championship banner and ninth NCAA Tournament berth overall
Jacksonville
Twitter: @JAX_WBB
- Jacksonville was again a tough matchup for squads up and down its schedule as it continued a tough brand of Women's Basketball en route to the league's postseason
- The Dolphins made yet another appearance in the ASUN Championship after they lined up in the first round against Stetson down in Fort Myers, Fla.
- The group will be under new leadership heading into the 2023-24 season following the mutual agreement to part ways between JAX and Head Coach Darnell Haney
Jacksonville State
Twitter: @JaxStateWBB
- Jacksonville State was again a solid squad in 2022-23 after the team put up 16 wins on the hardwood and earned the No. 8 seed in the ASUN Championship
- The Gamecocks got back to the league's postseason for the second-straight year; a key cog to their success on the floor was All-Conference Second Team selection Kennedy Gavin
- The Petal, Miss., native stepped her game up a notch during league play to the tune of 15.1 PPG (seventh in the ASUN) and 7.3 rebounds each time out
Kennesaw State
Twitter: @KSUOwlsWBB
- Kennesaw State wrapped up the No. 7 seed in the ASUN Championship after putting together a 10-8 conference slate; KSU beat Jacksonville State in the opening round, 82-73
- The Owls had a pair of players earn ASUN All-Conference accolades as Jah'Che Whitfield (Second Team) and Amani Johnson (Third Team) were recognized
- Johnson was also awarded a spot on the 2022-23 ASUN All-Academic Team; the four-time selection had a 4.00 GPA (MBA) while netting 10.2 points a game
Liberty
Twitter: @LibertyWBB
- Liberty found its stride in the middle of the year and flew to a 24-9 record, including a 16-2 mark during league play, to earn a No. 2 seed in the ASUN Championship
- The Flames again put themselves in position for a title after defeating both Kennesaw State and Lipscomb to earn a spot in the league's postseason finale
- Another run to the WNIT wouldn't have been possible without the contributions of ASUN All-Conference First Team choice Mya Berkman (14.7 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 69.5 FG%)
Lipscomb
Twitter: @LipscombWBB
- Lipscomb rewrote the program record book in 2022-23 as it set a new standard for regular-season victories during its 20-12 (13-5 ASUN) display on the hardwood
- The Bisons took major steps under the leadership of Head Coach Lauren Sumski, who helped guide them to a first-round bye and a No. 3 seed in the ASUN Championship
- The group was able to make a furious comeback against North Alabama at home in the first round of the postseason, 63-53; Bella Vinson (13.9 PPG) earned a First Team nod
North Alabama
Twitter: @UNAHOOPS
- North Alabama came on strong at the end of the season and claimed five-straight victories to lock up the No. 6 seed in the ASUN Championship at 10-8 in the league
- The Lions (15-15) wrapped up their schedule after going toe-to-toe with #3 Lipscomb in the ASUN Quarterfinals; Skyler Gill had a game-high 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks
- Gill is now a two-time Defensive Player of the Year after earning the recognition during her sophomore campaign; she led the ASUN in blocked shots with 77 during the regular season
North Florida
Twitter: @OspreyWBB
- North Florida was looking for more on the hardwood this year after finishing the schedule with just a 7-20 overall record; despite four wins in ASUN play, UNF upset Liberty, 68-58, in January
- The Ospreys seemed like a more confident bunch on both ends of the floor when playing at home in Jacksonville; they posted a 5-7 mark inside UNF Arena, including the upset of the Flames
- Lyric Swann was the lone player for UNF in double figures with a 14.2 average each time out; Kaila Rougier (9.3 PPG) and Brianna Livingston (9.2) played well on Darrick Gibbs' final Osprey squad
Queens
Twitter: @QueensWBB
- Queens stepped up to NCAA Division I for the first time in 2022-23, and while the team gathered just eight victories on the year, it takes valuable lessons into year two
- The Royals ended the season with eight-straight defeats, but had positive outcomes in ASUN competition against North Florida, Stetson and Kennesaw State
- Adia Brisker represented the club on and off the floor as she was tabbed to the ASUN All-Academic Team; teammate Jordyn Weaver earned a spot on the All-Freshman Team
Stetson
Twitter: @StetsonWBB
- Stetson was once again back in a familiar position, playing postseason Women's Basketball, as the club earned the nine spot for the postseason
- The Hatters once again collided with #1 FGCU in the ASUN Championship, this time in the quarterfinals, after taking down Jacksonville, 60-53, in the first round
- Jaelyn Talley proved to be hard to handle in her first year in a Stetson jersey; she was selected to the ASUN All-Freshman Team after 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
ASUN Conference, Atlanta – the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Austin Peay (Clarksville, Tenn.), Bellarmine (Louisville, Ky.), Central Arkansas (Conway, Ark.), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond, Ky.), FGCU (Fort Myers, Fla.), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.), North Alabama (Florence, Ala.), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), Queens (Charlotte, N.C.) and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).