Three New Orleans Privateers women’s basketball players received All-Academic recognition from the Southland Conference, according to a May 29 announcement from the conference office. Lauren Banks, Aaliyah Ellis, and Jayla Owen were named to the list for their achievements both on the court and in the classroom.
Banks joined New Orleans as a graduate student and finished her season with three consecutive games of 20 or more points to close out regular play. She averaged 9.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Academically, Banks maintains a perfect 4.0 GPA while majoring in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Ellis started in 16 games last season and posted a free throw percentage of 92.3 percent. She holds a cumulative GPA of 3.8 while pursuing her master’s degree in Psychology. Ellis scored in double figures three times during the season, including a season-high of 13 points against Loyola (New Orleans).
Owen achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA for the spring semester and has an overall cumulative GPA of 3.9 as a Psychology major. The Quebec native played in all but two games during the recently completed season, scoring ten points twice against Lamar and Northwestern State.
This marks the first time since Shania Woods earned similar recognition in 2019 that any Privateers player has been named to the Southland All-Academic team, and it is also the largest group honored since joining the conference.
