Michigan State University Athletics
Aerial Powers Named AP Honorable Mention All-American
3/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State women's basketball player Aerial Powers added to her ever-growing collection of postseason honors Tuesday with Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American accolades.
Powers, a sophomore forward from Detroit, Mich., is the first Spartan women's basketball player to garner All-American accolades since Kalisha Keane was also an AP Honorable Mention All-American in 2011. Overall, Powers is the sixth different MSU women's basketball player to earn AP All-American honors, joining Linsday Bowen (2005), Kristin Haynie (2005), Liz Shimek (2005 and 2006), Allyssa DeHaan (2010) and Keane. Additionally, Powers becomes the seventh Spartan women's basketball All-American in program history, as Kisha Kelley earned Kodak/WBCA Honorable Mention All-American honors in 1995.
A total of seven Big Ten women's basketball players were on the 2015 AP All-American award lists. Powers was joined by Minnesota's Amanda Zahui B. on the first team, Ohio State's Kelsey Mitchell on the second team, Maryland's Lexie Brown and Iowa's Samantha Logic on the third team. Joining Powers on the honorable mention list was Rutgers' Betnijah Laney and Maryland's Shatori Walker-Kimbrough.
Last week, Powers collected Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Region honors
Powers had a record-setting season, breaking the MSU single-season record for points (678) and rebounds (375). She also became just the second Michigan State women's basketball player to average over 20 points per game, also setting the MSU record for scoring average with a 21.9 points per game average as a sophomore. She broke a 40 year-old record as Linda Stoick, averaged 20.4 during the 1975 season. Powers also led the team and was second in the Big Ten in rebounding averaging 12.1 rpg, the second-most in school history. She also broke the Michigan State record with 24 double-doubles this season and 34 in her two-year career.
The sophomore also became the first Spartan to be named First-Team All-Big Ten her first-two seasons.
