Dembele Receives All-Defensive Team Honors, Named Scholar-Athlete of the Year

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri women’s basketball senior point guard Mama Dembele was recognized on the All-SEC Defensive Team and was named the conference Scholar Athlete of the Year, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.

Dembele ranks seventh nationally and second in the conference with 3.3 steals per game this season and is the only player in the country to record 150 or more assists and 75 or more steals.

The point guard also ranks 38th in the conference with 4.9 rebounds per contest.

In a win over North Alabama on Nov. 14, Dembele garnered a season-best 10 takeaways. In addition, she recorded three or more steals in 17 contests.

On Feb. 11 against Auburn, Dembele notched 15 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists recording Missouri’s first triple-double since 2011.

Dembele is the first Tiger in program history to be recognized on the SEC all-defensive team and the fourth defensive team honoree overall joining Big 12 era athletes, Latoya Bond, Christelle N’Garsanet and Kyley Simmons.

Dembele is also the first player in program history to earn scholar-athlete of the year recognition. Over the course of her four-year career, she has maintained a 3.96 GPA while pursuing a bachelor’s degree in health science with an emphasis in rehabilitation services.

Dembele was awarded the 2023 Arther Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar Award and is a three-time member of the conference academic honor roll.

Her performance in the classroom led Mizzou to a record GPA of 3.621 during the 2023 fall semester.

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