Houston's Laila Blair and Tiara Young Receive Conference Honors

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POSTED: March 6 -- 8:55 a.m. CT

After leading the team in scoring this season, Houston's Laila Blair and Tiara Young earned postseason honors, voted on by the coaches of the American Athletic Conference, on March 5. Blair was named All-Conference First Team while Young was the unanimous Sixth Player of the Year.

Blair is the first Cougar to be named to The American All-Conference First Team in program history after leading the team in scoring and becoming Houston's 29th 1,000-point scorer this year. The Houston-native scored in double figures 22 times in 2022-23 with a stretch of 13-straight games scoring 10-plus points.

The junior scored a career-high 30 points at #24 South Florida in Houston's first ranked road win since 2004. In conference play, Blair averaged 13.7 points per game, 3.0 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game and was efficient from the field and beyond the three-point line, shooting 33.3 percent from the field and 31.8 percent from deep. Blair made 87.5 percent of her free throw attempts in conference play.

The All-Conference First Team honor is the third postseason honor for the junior after being named to the All-Freshman Team in 2020-21 and the All-Conference Second Team in 2021-22.

Young is also the first Sixth Player of the Year for Houston since joining the American in 2013-14 after scoring 11.1 points per game off the bench for the Cougars in league play. Young started just one game on Senior Night after coming off the bench in 26 games.

Young scored 10-points in eight of the 14 league games she played in, including a 24-point career-high at SMU in late January. Young made nearly 36 percent of her field goal attempts in conference play and dished out 2.0 assists per game against American opponents while pulling down 4.0 rebounds a game.

Players of the Year -- Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, F, South Florida and Elena Tsineke, G, South Florida

Defensive Player of the Year -- Danae McNeal, G, East Carolina

Freshman of the Year -- Amiya Joyner, F, East Carolina

Coach of the Year -- Kim McNeill, East Carolina

Most Improved Player -- Danae McNeal, G, East Carolina

Sixth Player of the Year -- Tiara Young, G, Houston *

Newcomer of the Year -- Sammie Puisis, G, South Florida

Ambassador Award -- Maya Mayberry, G, Tulsa

First Team All-Conference

Danae McNeal, G, East Carolina

Laila Blair, G, Houston

Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, F, South Florida *

Elena Tsineke, G, South Florida *

Temira Poindexter, F, Tulsa

Second Team All-Conference

Jamirah Shutes, G, Memphis

Sammie Puisis, G, South Florida

Jasmine Smith, G, SMU

Savannah Wilkinson, F, SMU

Aleah Nelson, G, Temple

Third Team All-Conference

Amiya Joyner, F, East Carolina

Madison Griggs, G, Memphis

Dynah Jones, G, Tulane

Jane Asinde, F, Wichita State

Trajata Colbert, F, Wichita State

All-Freshman Team

Amiya Joyner, F, East Carolina

Destiny Thomas, C, Memphis

Carla Brito, G/F, South Florida

Ella Brow, G, SMU

Ahrray Young, G, Tulsa

*unanimous selection

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