SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Southern Conference announced today the Athletes of the Month for December.  One athlete is chosen from each sport: men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling.

Men’s Basketball

Davidson’s Stephen Curry averaged 23.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, 3 assists and 4.6 three pointers per game.  Curry shot 44 percent from the field, 43.4 percent from behind the arc and 81.3 percent for the free throw line.  He topped the 20-point plateau four times, with 32 against Charlotte.  Curry averaged 21.3 points against top competition that included Duke, UCLA, and N.C. State.  He leads the Southern Conference in scoring with 25.3 points per game, is second in steals with 2.25 per game and third in three point field goals made with 3.75.  Curry shares the December athlete of the month award with UNC Greensboro Kyle Hines.

UNC Greensboro Kyle Hines averaged 16.3 point per game, 10.5 rebounds per game and 3.8 blocks per game.  Hines shot 51.9 percent from the field and led his team to wins over UNCW and Fordham.  Hines had three double-doubles and extended his nation’s longest double figure scoring streak to 61 straight.  Hines leads the conference in blocks with 5.33 a game and moved into second on the Southern Conference career blocks list with 289.  He ranks nationally in rebounds and blocked shots.  The forward ranks in the top five nationally among active players in points, rebounds and blocks as he tries to become just he sixth player to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 300 career blocks.  Hines is fourth in the conference in scoring with 16.7 points and second in the conference in rebounds with 10 a game.  Hines shares the December athlete of the month with Stephen Curry from Davidson

Women’s Basketball

Chattanooga’s Alex Anderson averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds.  She shot 55 percent from the field and 76 percent from the free throw line.  She had two double-doubles, one against Alabama A&M and the other against Miami (Ohio).  Anderson scored 14 or more points in five out of the six games and had 27 points against Southern Conference foe Furman and Miami (Ohio).  Anderson was named Southern Conference player of the week twice in December.  She named to the UTSA New Year’s All-Classic Team.  Anderson moved into ninth place all-time in scoring at Chattanooga and sixth all-time in rebounding. 

Wrestling

Chattanooga’s Cody Cleveland has a 9-2 record in December.  Cleveland had a 4-3 victory against Marcus Hoehn of Missouri.  Cleveland placed fourth at the Midlands Championships where he wrestled 10 matches over two days and had a 8-2 record.  Cleveland was 1-1 in the championship bracket but wrestled his way back to finish fourth.  He won the last seven of his eight matches to place fourth.  Cleveland tallied two tech falls, two major decisions and a pin.  He is ranked 16 in the country at 141 pounds.