Williams, Dowling Garner All-HCAC Honors

Anderson University men's basketball standouts Ronny Williams (Anderson, Ind./Liberty Christian) and Gavin Dowling (Greenwood, Ind./Greenwood) each garnered all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) honors, which was announced by the conference on Thursday.

Williams was tabbed with first-team all-conference recognition while Dowling received all-HCAC Honorable Mention.

As a result of the pandemic, the Ravens played a shortened 12-game regular season against limited HCAC opponents. Anderson put together a 7-5 record in the regular season and an 8-6 overall record. The HCAC Tournament field was set by blind draw and the Ravens advanced to the HCAC quarterfinals.

"Individual awards are typically an outgrowth of team success, and I believe that is the case this season," Coach Owen Handy said. "With the least experienced team in the conference this year, we achieved a 7-5 record against an unbalanced schedule that rated among the toughest slates in the league."

Williams led the Ravens and ranked fourth in the HCAC with 17.9 points per game. Among HCAC leaders, Williams ranks second in steals per game (2.3), third in assists per game (3.9), third in field-goal percentage (.566), third in free-throw percentage (.857), fifth in rebounds per game (6.6) and sixth in 3-pointers made per game (2.1). Williams has converted 90-of-159 shots from the field and 42-of-49 attempts from the free-throw line.

"Obviously, Ronny was fantastic this season, and his statistical accomplishments stand on their own. Beyond that, he is a fierce competitor who plays as hard as anyone I've ever coached."

Dowling provided 10.1 points per game for the Ravens. The freshman from Greenwood ranked ninth in the conference in blocks per game (0.9) and 10th in the conference in rebounds per game (5.8).

"Being recognized as one of only two freshmen to receive an all-conference nod is a nice accolade for Gavin. He had a strong first season and is just going to keep getting better."