GREENVILLE, S.C. – Two Auburn players, DeYona Gaston and Yuting Deng, were recognized as part of the SEC’s women’s basketball postseason awards announced Tuesday.
Gaston was named to the All-SEC Second Team, and Deng earned a selection to the SEC All-Freshman Team.
Gaston, a graduate forward from Houston, Texas, finished the regular season as the SEC’s third-leading scorer with 22.5 points per game, and she was 10th in rebounds with 7.2 per game. She was just as effective in conference play, averaging 22.4 points per game, also finishing third in scoring.
Headed into postseason play, Gaston has 630 points this season, fourth-most in Auburn history and just four points shy of third place in a single season. She is also just eight made field goals away from the all-time Auburn single-season record. She has scored in double figures in 27 of 28 games played this year with five games over 30 points, the most in a season by an Auburn player.
Deng, who joined the Tigers in January from China, has been a spark to Auburn’s offense since arriving on the Plains. She averaged 12.0 points in her 11 games played – all in SEC play – which ranks fifth among SEC freshmen. She has made the most 3-pointers on the team despite having just played in those 11 games, going 25-of-68 from long range (36.8%), both numbers that would rank in the SEC’s top 10 in conference if she had met playing minimums.
Gaston is the 36th all-time Auburn selection to the All-SEC team, and Deng is the 19th All-Freshman selection for the Tigers. Auburn has had at least one All-SEC selection in nine of the last 10 years.
The Tigers begin postseason play Wednesday night when they take on the Florida Gators in the first round of the SEC Tournament. Game time is approximately 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina.