CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Elon women’s basketball sophomore guard Ali Ford was named a second-team Southern Conference All-Tournament selection, the league office announced tonight, March 7, following the completion of the women’s tournament.

In two games, Ford average a team-best 16.5 points per game to lead the Phoenix to only its third semifinals appearance in the tournament since joining the league eight seasons ago. A native of Morganton, N.C., Ford etched her named in the Elon record book in a big way in the quarterfinals against Furman, scoring a game-high 25 points to lead Elon to a 69-62 win, while eclipsing the 1,000-point mark for her career. Ford is only the third player in Elon history to reach the 1,000-point milestone by her sophomore season. Along with Ford, Elon Hall of Famer Venessa Corbett and women’s hoops standout Nuggie Dixon also reached 1,000 points by their sophomore year. Ford is the 18th player all-time and the first since Tierra Brumbrey (2004-08) to score 1,000 career points. Her 25 points against Furman tie the most points in a single game in Elon' SoCon Tournament history. Ford is the third player to be named to the all-tournament squad since Elon joined the league.

The second-seeded Samford Bulldogs claimed a 57-54 win over top-seeded Appalachian State this evening in the tournament championship to earn an automatic bid to the 2011 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.

Southern Conference All Tournament Team
First Team
Savannah Hill, Samford
Emily London, Samford
Ashlen Dewart, Appalachian State
Anna Freeman, Appalachian State
Kelsey Sharkey, Appalachian State

Second Team
Courtney Freeman, Appalachian State
Sophia Aleksandravicius, Davidson
Ali Ford, Elon
Kylie Lambert, Chattanooga
Mahagony Wililams, Wofford

Most Outstanding Player
Savannah Hill, Samford