Lady Tigers picked first, place four in preseason basketball team
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Benedict College Lady Tigers women’s basketball team has been picked to finish first in the SIAC East Division, and placed four players on the 2021-22 SIAC Preseason All-Conference team, the league announced Wednesday.
Ay’Anna Bey, the SIAC two-time SIAC Player of the Year, was named the 2021-22 preseason Player of the Year. Keondra Archie joins Bey on the preseason first team. Wykira Johnson-Kelly and Ayanna Armstead were both named to the second team.
The preseason honors and predicted order of finish are voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
Benedict has been voted as the preseason favorite to win the 2021-22 SIAC Women’s Basketball Eastern Division. The Tigers feature a squad led by 2021 SIAC Preseason Player of the Year and 2018-19 and 2019-20 SIAC Player of the Year, Ay’Anna Bey. Bey, who was named to the D2CCA All-South Region in 2020, averaged 17.5 points per game (3rd in SIAC) and 9.5 rebounds per game (1st in SIAC) in 2020. She also shot .484 from floor which ranked fourth in the league. During the 2020-21 COVID season, the New Jersey native averaged 18.2 points per game and 8.6 rebounds per game. In her sophomore season, she was named WBCA Honorable Mention All-American averaging 23.7 points per game and 12.5 rebounds per game. This is Bey’s second Preseason Player of the Year honor.
Archie averaged 9.9 points and 6.6 rebounds for Benedict in last season’s Covid-shortened season. In 2019-20, Archie averaged 14.8 points, seventh-best in the SIAC, while playing for Paine College.
Johnson-Kelly ranked 10th in the SIAC in scoring during the 2019-20 season, averaging 13.8 points per game and was named to the 2020 SIAC Tournament All-Tournament team. She also ranked fourth in the SIAC in 3-point field goal percentage (.373). Last season, she averaged 14.2 points and shot 32 percent from 3-point range.
Armstead was named SIAC First Team All-Conference following 2018-19 season. She averaged 9.6 points and shot .321 from 3-point range (44-137) during 2019-20 season. She also averaged 9.7 points and shot .311 from 3-point range (23-74) from 3-point range during the Covid 2020-21 season.
The Lady Tigers were picked to win the East. Tuskegee was the pick to finish first in the West. Jutoreyia Willis of Tuskegee was selected the preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
Benedict will open the season with an exhibition game on Monday, Nov. 1 against the University of South Carolina. The regular season will tip off on Nov. 12 against West Florida in Valdosta, Ga.. The home opener is Nov. 16 against North Georgia.
2021-22 SIAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Awards
| First Team | ||||
| Ay’Anna Bey* | Benedict | Senior | Forward | Blackwood, NJ |
| Keondra Archie* | Benedict | Senior | Forward | Eastover, S.C. |
| Le’Andrea Gillis* | Savannah State | Junior | Guard | Adrian, Ga. |
| India Blakely* | Tuskegee | Senior | Guard | Troy, Ala. |
| Jutoreyia Willis | Tuskegee | Senior | Guard | Chattanooga, Tenn. |
| Second Team | ||||
| Ayanna Armstead | Benedict | Senior | Guard | Coral Spring, Fla. |
| Wykira Johnson-Kelly | Benedict | Senior | Guard | Franklinville, NJ |
| Amari Heard | Savannah State | Sophomore | Guard | Lawrenceville, Ga. |
| Ashiala Jackson | Tuskegee | Redshirt Junior | Forward | Merrillville, Ind. |
| Diamond Jones | Fort Valley State | Junior | Guard | Clarksville, Tenn. |
*Indicates returner for 2019-20 SIAC All-Conference Team
Preseason Superlative Awards
Preseason Player of the Year
Ay’Anna Bey, Benedict
Defensive Player of the Year
Jutoreyia Willis, Tuskegee
Women’s Basketball Preseason Rankings by Division
East Division
1. Benedict
2. Savannah State
3. Clark Atlanta
4. Fort Valley State
5. Albany State
6. Allen*
7. Edward Waters*
West Division
1. Tuskegee
2. Miles
3. Kentucky State
4. Central State
5. Lane
6. LeMoyne-Owen
7. Spring Hill
*Allen University and Edward Waters University are first-year provisional members of NCAA Division II and are not eligible for SIAC nor NCAA football postseason competition.
