SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its December athletes of the month for men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling on Wednesday, highlighting excellence among student-athletes during the month.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Stephon Jelks, Mercer, So., F
Mercer’s Stephon Jelks averaged a double-double over six games in December as the Bears went 4-2. The sophomore averaged 12.7 points and 10.2 rebounds and closed the month with three straight double-doubles at Auburn, Arkansas and Kennesaw State. Jelks pulled down 15 rebounds in both games against SEC opponents and scored a career-high 21 points in a win at KSU. The Marietta, Ga., native shot 48 percent from 3-point range (11-of-23) over the six-game stretch.
Also nominated: Derrick Henry (The Citadel), Darius Jones-Gibson (Samford), Eric Robertson (Chattanooga) and Mike Brown (Western Carolina).
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Lucy Mason, UNCG, Sr., G
UNCG senior guard Lucy Mason was again the centerpiece of the Spartans’ offense in December, averaging 22.6 points per game while leading her team to a 5-4 record. Mason chipped in 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per game across the nine contests and continued doing damage at the free-throw line, where she was 58-for-75 for a 77-percent clip. The highlight of Mason’s month was a 29-point performance against Maryland Eastern Shore on Dec. 28 that etched her name at the top of the UNCG record books as the program’s all-time leading scorer. The Stone Mountain, Ga., native surpassed a 26-year-old mark of 1,585 points set by former Spartan Angie Polk-Jones 26 years ago. Mason leads the SoCon and ranks fourth in the country in scoring with 24.2 points per game. She also ranks in the top five in the conference across five other statistical categories: assists, free-throw percentage, steals, 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-point field goals made.
Others nominated: Tianna Tarter (ETSU), Kahlia Lawrence (Mercer), Destiney Elliott (Samford) and Moses Johnson (Chattanooga).
WRESTLING
Marshall Haas, The Citadel, Sr., 197 pounds
The Citadel’s Marshall Haas went 6-2 in December, including a 4-0 mark to win the 197-pound weight class at the Reno Tournament of Champions in Reno, Nev. Haas opened his month at the Cliff Keen Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev., picking up an 11-2 major decision over Bucknell’s Tyler Green before falling to No. 8 Zach Nye of Virginia by an 8-6 margin and to Cal Poly’s JT Goodwin, 5-4. Haas didn’t lose the rest of the month, picking up a dual win in the Bulldogs’ 28-10 win over Limestone before putting together his run at Reno. The senior from South Riding, Va., avenged his loss to Goodwin with a pin in 1:15 to open his tournament before adding a 6-1 win and then a 10-0 major decision over 14th-ranked and top-seeded Anthony Abro of Eastern Michigan. Haas earned the 197-pound title with a 4-2 win over Illinois’ Andre Lee. He jumped into the national rankings and was named the Arby’s SoCon Wrestler of the Week after that performance.
Other nominees: Nick Kee (Appalachian State), Nathan Kraisser (Campbell), and Jared Johnson (Chattanooga).
Southern Conference December Athletes of the Month
Men’s basketball Stephon Jelks, Mercer
Women’s basketball Lucy Mason, UNCG
Wrestling Marshall Haas, The Citadel
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