Williams Voted to Preseason All-Conference Team

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MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun conference office released its annual preseason women’s basketball polls on Tuesday, and Mercer sophomore Briana Williams was named a unanimous selection to the preseason all-conference team.  As a team, Mercer was picked to finish eighth by the league’s coaches and ninth by the media.

Williams garners the distinction after a freshman campaign that saw her lead the conference in scoring on her way to earning Second Team All-Conference honors and the title of A-Sun Freshman of the Year.  Williams’ average of 18.0 points per game ranked 37^th in the nation and was second-best amongst all Division I freshmen.

Williams joined Stetson’s Victoria McGowan, Belmont’s Haley Nelson and USC Upstate’s Tee’Ara Copney as unanimous choices for the preseason team.

“It’s a great honor for Briana and she certainly deserves the recognition after leading the conference in scoring last year,” Mercer head coach Susie Gardner said.  “What is exciting for us is that people outside our program don’t know how hard she has worked in the off season.  She has really turned it up and notch and taken her game to a different level.”

In the predicting standings, Florida Gulf Coast was voted most likely to win the conference regular season and tournament championship by both the league’s coaches and media.  In the coaches’ poll, the Eagles collected eight first-place votes and tallied a league-best 95 points.

Stetson (87) was second in the coaches’ poll while ETSU (81), Belmont (64) and North Florida (61) rounded out the top five.  Mercer collected 35 points, just three short of tying USC Upstate for seventh place.

In the media poll, FGCU earned all 19 first-place votes and topped the list with 190 points.  ETSU (159) checked in at second while Stetson (149), North Florida (114) and USC Upstate (108) placed third, fourth and fifth.

Mercer elicited 50 points from the media and finished four points short of Kennesaw State for eighth place on the list.

Mercer begins its season on November 3 hosting Georgia College and State in an exhibition matchup.  The season officially tips off a week later when the Bears host Auburn on November 11 to kick off homecoming weekend.