SAC Teams, Players Ranked in Top Ten of Statistics for NCAA Division II
January 18, 2006

Complete Stats (NCAA Website)

The South Atlantic Conference currently has a number of players and teams from both the men’s and women’s basketball programs who currently ranked in the top ten statistically in the nation for Division II schools.

Wingate University’s redshirt sophomore Byran Grier is leading the nation in blocked shots. Through games of January 15, Grier has denied 75 shots in 13 games, averaging 5.4 blocked shots per game. Grier is also ranked 8th in NCAA Division II for field-goal percentage. He is currently shooting 64.9 percent from the floor.

Other notable individuals cracking the top ten in men’s statistics leaders is Carson- Newman’s Darren Williams and Mars Hill’s Walt Baxley. Williams is currently ranked second in three-point field-goal percentage. The sophomore guard is currently shooting 51.5 percent from behind the arc. The senior Baxley is currently ranked sixth in points per game, averaging 24.4 points per game.

For the overall Division II statistics, the South Atlantic Conference currently only has one men’s basketball program ranked in the top ten. Carson-Newman ranks ninth overall in three-point field-goal percentage. The Eagles are shooting 41.3 percent as a team from behind the three-point line.

Switching over to the women’s hoops, Tusculum’s Brooke Underwood is ranked second in assists per game. The junior guard from Knoxville, Tenn. has dished out an average of 9.2 assists per game to her fellow Pioneers.

Ashli Oliver, Tusculum’s freshman guard, is ranked third in three-point field-goals per game, averaging 3.6. Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shannon Jones is ranked 8th in rebounds per game. Jones averages 11.9 rebounds a game for the Bears.

For the team statistics, the South Atlantic Conference currently has six women’s teams ranked in the top ten for numerous categories. Tusculum leads the Division II women’s hoops in three-point field-goals made per game (9.6) and sits 6th for three-point field-goal percentage (39.9 percent). Wingate is ranked second in field-goal percentage (49.5 percent) and ninth in scoring offense, averaging 80.5 points per game. Mars Hill sits as the third ranked team in free-throw percentage, hitting 77.5 percent from the line. Presbyterian ranks seventh overall in Division II for rebounding margin, where the Blue Hose currently out rebound their opponents by an average of 10.7.