Hawkins Earns HCAC Defensive Player of the Year

Anderson University women's basketball junior Hannah Hawkins earned the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Defensive Player of the Year, which was announced by the conference on Thursday.

Payton Moore garnered first-team all-HCAC honors. Lexi Dellinger collected second-team all-HCAC honors while Hawkins received all-HCAC Honorable Mention.

"It is exciting for our program to have three players recognized individually by the conference and I am happy to see our program growing," Coach Lindsay Shade said.

After starting the season 6-10 with a 2-7 HCAC record, the Ravens compiled a 5-4 record during the second half of the conference season to surge to fourth place in the HCAC standings, punching their ticket to their first HCAC Tournament since the 2009-10 season. In that time, the Ravens established themselves as one of the top defenses in the conference. Among HCAC leaders, Anderson ranks second in scoring defense (56.3), second in field-goal percentage defense (.347) and first in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.277).

Hawkins lead the conference and ranks 25th in the nation with 2.68 blocks per game. The 6-foot-2 center from Fairmount produced 8.9 points per game and 7.3 rebounds per game. She converted 77-of-156 shots from the field, for a .494 field-goal percentage which ranks second in the HCAC. Hawkins also ranks sixth in the conference in rebounding. As a freshman, Hawkins was named to the HCAC All-Freshman Team.

During conference play, Hawkins blocked 2.8 shots per game, which topped the conference. She hit 54-of-104 shots from the floor for a .519 field-goal percentage, which ranks second in the in the HCAC. Hawkins pulled down 7.3 rebounds per game, which ranked sixth in the HCAC. She also notched 9.6 points per game.

Hawkins blocked nine shots in Anderson's home contest against Earlham College, breaking the single-game school record. During the season, Hawkins also took down the Anderson Division III era school records for single-season blocks (59) and career blocks (136).

"Over the course of the season, I believe we garnered a reputation as one of the better defensive teams in the conference. Hannah is the anchor of our defense and a huge part of our defensive success. She uses her length incredibly well and obviously blocks and alters a lot of shots near the rim, but she does so much more than that for us, defensively. Hannah has come a long way in her understanding of the game and the way we implement scout strategy. She often recognizes what our opponents are running offensively and communicates to her teammates from the back line of our defense. She is tough physically, willing to dive on the floor for loose balls and is not afraid to rebound through contact. I am thrilled that our conference recognizes the impact she has on our team defensively."

Moore notched 13.8 points per game for the Ravens. The 6-foot sophomore forward from Spiceland knocked down 128-of-283 (45.2 percent) attempts from the field and 99-of-129 (76.7 percent) shots from the free-throw line. Among HCAC leaders, Moore ranks eighth in scoring, fourth in rebounds per game (8.0), fifth in free-throw percentage, fifth in free throws made per game (3.8), sixth in blocks per game (1.1) and seventh in field-goal percentage. She also leads the Ravens with 1.1 steals per game. Last season, Moore was tabbed the HCAC Freshman of the Year, earned second-team all-HCAC recognition and was named to the HCAC All-Freshman Team.

During the conference season, Moore averaged 15.0 points and 8.5 rebounds. She converted 97-of-208 (46.6 percent) shots from the floor. Among HCAC leaders, Moore ranked seventh in scoring, third in rebounding and fourth in field-goal percentage.

"Payton is one of the most athletic players in the conference and impacts the game in a variety of ways, often presenting matchup problems for our opponents. She has an ability to score points in bunches and take over a game. It's significant that, as a sophomore, she made first-team all-conference among five seniors."

Dellinger led the Ravens in points per game (14.9) and assists per game (3.0). The 5-foot-5 sophomore guard from Berne drained 53-of-131 (40.5 percent) shots from 3-point range, 59-of-65 (90.8 percent) attempts from the charity stripe and 108-of-265 (40.8 percent) shots from the floor. Dellinger ranks third in the nation in free-throw percentage and 31st in the nation in 3-point field-goal percentage. Among HCAC leaders, Dellinger ranks sixth in points per game, first in free-throw percentage, second in 3-point field-goal percentage, second in 3-pointer made per game (2.41), sixth in assists per game and 12th in field-goal percentage. Dellinger overcame missing four full games and most of fifth game due to injury. Last season, Dellinger was selected to the HCAC All-Freshman Team.

During the conference season, Dellinger provided 15.7 points per game, which ranked fifth in the HCAC. Dellinger knocked down 33-of-80 (41.3 percent) attempts from 3-point range and 43-of-49 (87.8 percent) shots from the free-throw line. Among HCAC leaders, Dellinger ranked first in free-throw percentage, third in 3-pointers made per game (2.4) and fourth in 3-point field-goal percentage.

"Lexi is one of the best shooters in the conference and has a unique ability to score off the dribble. She has a tremendous work ethic and puts the extra time in, both in and out of season, to be such a consistent scoring threat. Lexi had to adjust and adapt over the course of the season as she battled injuries and still managed to be selected as one of the top 12 players in the conference."