RALEIGH, March 5, 2007 – Amber Bland’s first season in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference was tremendous. She was dominant on the court at times and clearly the Aggies key player on the floor every night.

 On Monday, the sophomore was named first-team All-MEAC at the MEAC Tournament Tip-Off Banquet held at the RBC Center. Freshman Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook and sophomore Brittanie Taylor-James was named to the MEAC’s second team.

 “It is a privileged to be named among some of the great players who stood on that stage with me,’’ said Bland, who became the seventh different player in Aggies history to win first-team honors. “To come into the MEAC and be named to the first team my first year is a big accomplishment.

 Bland (5-11, Boardman, Ohio) led the MEAC in scoring at 20.1 points per game and was among the top 20 scorers in the nation. She broke the school’s single-season scoring record, surpassing the mark on Feb. 24 against Norfolk State.

 “Amber is truly one of the special players we have not only in the conference, but in the nation,’’ said head coach Patricia Cage-Bibbs. “She had a remarkable year and the thing I love about her is that she plays on both ends of the floor. Her defense was just as important to us as her offense.”

 Bland finished in the top 10 in nine different statistical categories in the conference, including ranking second in average minutes per game (36.6), 3-point field goal percentage (.378) and 3-pointers made per game (2.6). She was also third in the league in steals (2.9).

 Three times during the season she scored 30 points or more, including 33 points against Texas Christian. After starting the season with just one field goal in her first two games, Bland scored in double figures in every subsequent game, giving 27 double figure scoring games on the season.

 The Penn State transfer was instrumental in helping the Aggies put together their best season in 11 years and their second-place finish in the MEAC was the best in 12 seasons.

 Taylor-James (6-0, Evanston, Ill.) missed the first seven games of the season to satisfy the NCAA requirement for a Division I transfer. She stepped and made an immediate impact for the Aggies. Taylor-James scored in double figures in 19 of her 22 games played. She joined Bland and Ta’Wuana “Tweet” Cook as Aggies who finished among the top five scorers in the conference. Bland averaged 13.7 points per game and led the Aggies in free throw shooting.

Cook, who was also named MEAC Rookie of the Year on Monday, was fourth in the league in scoring and led conference in assists s a freshman. Cook is the first Aggie freshman to be named to an All-MEAC team.

The Aggies start play in the MEAC Tournament in Raleigh on Thursday when they face the winner of Florida A&M and Bethune-Cookman at noon.