Gooch leads Lady Topper All-Sun Belt selections

Junior forward Chastity Gooch shoots a free throw during WKU’s 83-48 victory over Jackson State Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013, at Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky.

Kyle Williams

Junior forward Chastity Gooch, redshirt freshman guard Kendall Noble and sophomore guard Micah Jones received accolades from the Sun Belt Conference on Tuesday.

Gooch was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference first team and was also tabbed as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

It’s the second consecutive year Gooch has received the defensive honor, making her just the second player in league history to do so. She’s the only Lady Topper to win the award. Gooch led the Sun Belt in overall rebounds, pulling in 8.8 per game, and blocked shots, with 42 on the year.

The league honored Noble as the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year and a second-team selection after averaging 14.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 3.2 steals per game in league play. Noble was one of two freshmen in the nation to average at least 10.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in conference play.

Jones was tabbed as a third-team selection for her contributions to the Lady Toppers. The sophomore averaged 11.4 points and 2.9 assists per game while leading the league in three-point shooting percentage at .460 in Sun Belt play.