BATON ROUGE — Less than two weeks after leading the LSU women’s basketball team to the championship game of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, sophomore point guard Temeka Johnson was named Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press, it was announced Wednesday.
The honor comes as Johnson and the Lady Tigers depart for their first and second-round games in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament in Boulder, Colo.
Johnson, a sophomore playing her first season after being academically ineligible during the 2000-01 season, finished the season third in the nation with 7.5 assists per game, while scoring 10.5 points per game and grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game at only 5-2. She shot better than 51 percent from the field and 71 percent from the free throw line, while averaging 35.4 minutes per game for the short-handed LSU squad.
She dazzled the nation with an 18-point, 10-assist effort that spearheaded the Lady Tigers’ upset of then-No. 3 Tennessee in the semifinal round of the SEC Tournament. Then she put together a 22-point night when LSU’s seven-player team fell to No. 6 Vanderbilt the next day. Johnson was named to the 2002 All-Tournament team.
After sitting out the first six games of the season until she became eligible, Johnson took over the point for the Lady Tigers when Kisha James went down with a torn ACL.
Johnson helped lead an injury-riddled LSU team to a 9-5 record in the nation’s toughest conference and helped the Lady Tigers return to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six seasons.
The 2001-02 AP Women’s All-America basketball team with school, height, class and key statistics, followed in parentheses by points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis by a national media panel:
First team
Sue Bird, Connecticut, 5-9, senior, 13.7 ppg, 5.9 apg, 54 3-pointers, .929 ft pct. (41 first-team votes, 214 total points)
Alana Beard, Duke, 5-11, sophomore, 19.5 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.2 steals. (36, 204)
Chantelle Anderson, Vanderbilt, 6-6, junior, 20.2 ppg, 6.3 rpg, .659 fg pct. (37, 200)
Stacey Dales, Oklahoma, 6-0, senior, 17.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.9 apg. (28, 177)
LaToya Thomas, Mississippi State, 6-2, junior, 24.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg, .577 fg pct (19, 140).
Second team
Swin Cash, Connecticut, 6-2, senior, 15.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, .550 fg pct. (14, 133)
Angie Welle, Iowa State, 6-4, senior, 20.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg, .666 fg pct. (9, 133)
Nicole Powell, Stanford, 6-2, sophomore, 16.6 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 6.1 apg, 62 3-pointers (7, 118)
Diana Taurasi, Connecticut, 5-11, sophomore, 14.4 ppg, 5.2 apg, 79 3-pointers, .514 fg pct. (7, 97)
Kelly Mazzante, Penn State, 6-0, sophomore, 25.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 92 3-pointers. (7, 92)
Third team
Sheila Lambert, Baylor, 5-7, senior, 20.0 ppg, 6.3 apg, 3.2 steals. (3, 87)
Lindsay Whalen, Minnesota, 5-8, sophomore, 21.7 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 5.3 apg, .556 fg pct. (2, 58)
Kara Lawson, Tennessee, 5-9, junior, 16.0 ppg, 4.9 rpg, .497 fg pct. (49)
Linda Frohlich, UNLV, 6-2, senior, 20.9 ppg, 10.5 rpg, 2.3 steals. (1, 32)
Asjha Jones, Connecticut, 6-2, senior, 13.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, .546 fg pct. (3, 25)
Shereka Wright, Purdue, 5-10, sophomore, 19.1 ppg, 6.8 rpg, .498 fg pct. (25)
Honorable mention
Temeka Johnson, LSU; LaNeishea Caufield, Oklahoma; Danielle Crockrom, Baylor; Shaun Gortman, South Carolina; Vanessa Hayden, Florida; Chandi Jones, Houston; Zuzi Klimesova, Vanderbilt; Amanda Levens, Arizona State.
Susan Moran, Saint Joseph’s; Nicole Ohlde, Kansas State; Felicia Ragland, Oregon State; Alicia Ratay, Notre Dame; Michelle Snow, Tennessee; Jessie Stomski, Wisconsin; Nikki Teasley, North Carolina.
Iciss Tillis, Duke; Ayana Walker, Louisiana Tech; Lenae Williams, DePaul; Shaquala Williams, Oregon; Tamika Williams, Connecticut; Lindsey Yamasaki, Stanford.