Bateman, Stucke, and King Honored with All-HCAC Nods

GREENWOOD, Ind. - All three members of the Lady Jackets' starting backcourt were recognized as all-conference performers on Wednesday, when the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference released its list of 2010-11 All-HCAC selections. [HCAC Release]

Molly Bateman was selected as an HCAC Honorable Mention performer following her breakout senior campaign, while Tasha Stucke made her first appearance on the First-Team All-HCAC squad to cap-off her outstanding basketball career. As if to reassure DC fans that the team is in good hands going forward, despite two all-conference guards reaching the ends of their careers, Erica King headlined the HCAC All-Freshman squad, being named the HCAC Freshman of the Year. 

Bateman's senior season was a prime example of how hard work and dedication can produce extraordinary results in the long run. She claimed her spot in DC's starting lineup after dropping 17 points in the Jackets' win over Anderson on Dec. 1, and never looked back, posting a team-best 11.5 points per game over the last 22 contests. Her senior campaign was highlighted by a 23-point outburst in DC's upset victory over a nationally-ranked Brescia University squad in the annual Pro Rehab – Hubbard Co. Tournament, earning her a spot on the all-tournament team. 

Stucke's all-conference nod was her third-consecutive, and her first as a member of the All-HCAC First Team. The honor comes in the wake of an incredibly productive career of running the point for Defiance, where she racked up 102-consecutive starts, 838 points, 380 assists, 345 rebounds and 199 steals. Stucke ranked among the HCAC's top-six in assists in each of her four seasons, and finished with an efficient 1.36 assist to turnover ratio for her career. The pass-first point guard also ramped up her scoring in 2010-11, finishing third on the team with a career-high 10 points per game.

King was DC's most dynamic playmaker in 2010-11, averaging 10.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest in her first season out of Pettisville High School. She displayed a multi-dimensional offensive game, scoring with regularity from the paint, from long-range and from the free throw line. King finished third in the conference in three-point field goals and three-point field goal percentage (40.7), while ranking among the top-20 in free throws and fourth in free throw percentage (80.0). She averaged 15.8 points over the last five games of the season, including a team-high 17 points in DC's HCAC Tournament matchup with Manchester.