(UW Athletics release)
LARAMIE, Wyo. – Wyoming’s Justin James has been voted All-Mountain West First Team by members of the media who cover the conference. The all-conference awards as voted by the head coaches will be announced Tuesday.
James, a native of Port Saint Lucie, Fla., led the MW in scoring at 21.8 points per game, as that number also ranks No. 20 in the nation this season. He also ranked fifth in the conference at 8.6 rebounds per night. James also added 4.4 assists per night for fourth in the conference.
He led the conference in field goals made with 220 on the season. An excellent offensive talent, James led the MW in free throws made at 189. He has scored 675 points this season and has scored 2,030 career points for fourth in Wyoming history and fifth in MW history. He is two points away from passing Marvelle Harris for fourth in conference history.
A defensive threat, James added a league best 1.5 steals per game. He grabbed 7.5 defensive rebounds per game to rank second in the Mountain West and No. 20 in the nation.
The Pokes return to action on Wednesday as the tenth seed heading in to the Mountain West Championship in Las Vegas against seventh seed New Mexico for a 2:30 p.m. MT start.
Senior Clara Tapia was named to the Academic All-America Women’s Basketball Second Team, it was announced on Monday. She moved to the ballot after being named First Team Academic All-District VII in February and was a third-team academic All-American last season.
She is the first Cowgirl to earn multiple academic All-America honors.
Tapia is a two-time Academic All-Mountain West and Scholar-Athlete selection, and carries a 4.0 GPA in molecular biology and chemistry. The guard from Barcelona, Spain, has started and played in all 27 games this season for the Cowgirls. She is averaging 3.9 points and 3.3 assists per game. She has had a positive or even assist-to-turnover ratio in all but one game this season, and currently ranks 23rd in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.5. She has 377 career assists to rank seventh all time at Wyoming in just three seasons, and she has taken eight charges on the defensive end of the floor this season.
Thirteen of the 15 members of the 2018-19 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I women’s basketball teams have at least a 3.90 GPA, with eight student-athletes maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. The five members of the first team have an average GPA of 3.99, with the three teams combining for a 3.93 GPA.
To be eligible for Academic All-America® consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
The third-seeded Cowgirls will hit the hardwood tonight when they face No. 6 Utah State in the quarterfinals of the Mountain West Tournament at 9:30 p.m. (MT).
