Elgedawy, Givens earn 1st team all-conference nod

Matt Gadd

Junior forward Raneem Elgedawy and redshirt senior forward Dee Givens were each placed on the 2019-20 All-Conference USA First Team after the two standouts posted stellar numbers for the WKU women’s basketball team during the regular season, the league office announced on Monday morning.

Givens was also named to the league’s All-Defensive Team for her efforts on the defensive end this year. Both nods come after Givens earned an All-Academic Team spot on March 6.

“We are truly proud of Dee and Raneem being named First Team All-Conference as well as Dee being named to the All-Defensive Team,” head coach Greg Collins said in a release.

“They’ve worked hard and been impactful for our team, showing a lot of determination and grit against a very tough schedule,” Collins continued. “While they both are very deserving of this recognition, they also will be the first to give credit to their teammates. They’ve added their names to the tradition of great players at WKU. We’re proud of their growth and development.”

Givens, a 2018-19 first team selection, and Elgedawy, a second team selection from a year ago, lived up to their billing this season after both players were selected as members of the Preseason All-C-USA team in October 2019.

The forward tandem has been dominant over the course of the season, as Elgedawy and Givens rank No. 3 and No. 5, respectively, in scoring among qualified players in the conference this season.

Elgedawy averaged a double-double on the season, putting up 17.6 points and 11.0 rebounds per game for WKU. Her double-digit average on the glass was the second-best mark in the league.

The Alexandria, Egypt, native’s 17 double-doubles this season lead the conference and are the 12th most in the nation. That mark also ties her for the sixth most in WKU history.

Givens averaged 16.2 points per game this season. The Lexington native is the 14th leading scorer all-time at WKU with 1,602 career points. She has connected on the third most 3-pointers in school history with 224, and Givens has also played the 

Givens has been dominant defensively as well, leading the conference with 69 steals on the season. Her 232 career steals are the fourth most by any Lady Topper in history.

The Lady Toppers will look to carry their regular-season dominance into the postseason. WKU (22-7, 14-4 C-USA) will open play in the C-USA Tournament against either sixth-seeded Charlotte (20-9, 11-7 C-USA) or eleventh-seeded North Texas (12-18, 6-12 C-USA) on Thursday at 2 p.m.

Reporter Matt Gadd can be reached at [email protected]. Follow Matt on Twitter at @themattgadd.