ROCK HILL, S.C. (thesac.com) – Catawba's Lyrik Thorne was voted the 2023-24 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Coker's Kamari Thompson was voted the SAC Women's Basketball Freshman of the Year, Anderson's Zamiya Passmore was voted the SAC Women's Basketball Newcomer of the Year, and Catawba's Terence McCutcheon was voted the SAC Women's Basketball Coach of the Year, the conference announced Monday (March 4).
Thorne, a graduate student guard from High Point, N.C., averaged a league-leading 20.2 points per game, four rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game (through 25 games) for the SAC Regular Season Champion Catawba Indians. She ranks first in the region and ninth in the country in scoring, while producing 13 20-point games and four 30-point games, including a season-high 38 points. Thorne became Catawba's all-time leading scorer this season, the first to reach 2,000 career points and ranks fifth on the SAC's all-time scoring list. She was honored as the SAC WePlayed Sports Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her efforts on January 2nd and helped Catawba extend their nation-leading home win streak to 32 games. Thorne was also named a First Team All-SAC Selection.
Thompson, a freshman from Greenville, S.C., leads the SAC with 12 rebounds per game and sits in the No. 6 spot nationally for Division II. She recorded a season-high 19 rebounds twice, first against Barton on November 18th and again vs Anderson on February 3rd. Thompson averaged 11.2 points per game as the Cobras earned the No. 7 seed in the upcoming SAC Women's Basketball Championship. She was named to the SAC All-Freshman Team for her efforts this season.
Passmore, a redshirt senior from Locust Grove, Ga., averaged 15.9 points per game this season after transferring from Lander University. She recorded multiple 20-point games, posting a season-high 28 points against Carson-Newman on February 17th, and added 4.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game. For her efforts, Passmore was named a Second Team All-SAC Selection.
McCutcheon picks up his second consecutive Coach of the Year honors after four seasons with the Catawba Indians. His team earned the SAC Regular Season Title and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming SAC Women's Basketball Championships, completing the regular season at 22-4 and 17-3 in SAC play. Catawba also holds the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Southeast Region.
Joining Thorne on this year's All-SAC First Team honoree list is Lenoir-Rhyne's Blaikley Crooks, Wingate's Emily Hege, Anderson's Diamond McDowell, and Carson-Newman's Lindsey Taylor and Braelyn Wykle.
2023-24 South Atlantic Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference
First Team
Blaikley Crooks, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Hege, Wingate
Diamond McDowell, Anderson
Lindsey Taylor, Carson-Newman
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Braelyn Wykle, Carson-Newman
Second Team
Hannah Clark, Wingate
Janiya Downs, Catawba
Lauren Flowers, Lincoln Memorial
Emily Harman, Lenoir-Rhyne
Zamiya Passmore, Anderson
Caitlyn Ross, Virginia-Wise
Third Team
Maddie Gillie, Mars Hill
Kalisha Hill, Limestone
Mikeba Jones, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jordan Maney, Lincoln Memorial
Sara McIntosh, Catawba
Breanna Yarber, Emory & Henry
All-Freshman
Trinity Breedlove, Wingate
Ni'Kiah Chesterfield, Tusculum
Gracyn Hall, Emory & Henry
Tateyoina Harris, Mars Hill
Kamari Thompson, Coker
Player of the Year
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Newcomer of the Year
Zamiya Passmore, Anderson
Freshman of the Year
Kamari Thompson, Coker
Defensive Player of the Year
Lyrik Thorne, Catawba
Coach of the Year
Terence McCutcheon, Catawba
Statistical Champions
Points Per Game – Lyrik Thorne, Catawba; 20.2
Three-Pointers Per Game – Maddie Gillie, Mars Hill; 3.28
Rebounds Per Game – Kamari Thompson, Coker; 11.6
Blocked Shots Per Game – Tateyoina Harris, Mars Hill; 2.04
Field Goal Percentage – Lindsey Taylor, Carson-Newman; 62.9
Assists Per Game – Zamiya Passmore, Anderson; 6.6
Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Tori Rutherford, Carson-Newman; 2.32
Steals Per Game – Dasia Lambert, Coker; 2.58
Three-Point Field Goal Percentage – Emily Hege, Wingate; 50.8
Free Throw Percentage – Hannah Clark, Wingate; 92.2
Team Scoring Offense – Anderson; 78.1
Team Steals Per Game – Carson-Newman; 12
Team Field Goal Percentage – Anderson; 43.8
Team FG Percentage Defense – Carson-Newman; 37.2
Team Assists Per Game – Carson-Newman; 18.4
Team Rebounds Per Game – Mars Hill; 43.48
Team Blocks Per Game – Carson-Newman; 4.7
Team Three-Point FG Percentage – Wingate; 41.5
Team Scoring Defense – Lenoir-Rhyne; 61
Team Free Throw Percentage – Wingate; 81.1
Team Assist-to-Turnover Ratio – Carson-Newman; 1.20