Dawn Staley and No. 1 South Carolina Gamecocks have been the cream of the crop in the Southeastern Conference all season long. And nipping at their heels have been Kim Mulkey and LSU women's basketball, who finished second in the conference race.

It's no wonder the Tigers and Gamecocks occupied plenty of spots on the USA TODAY Sports Network's All-SEC awards. South Carolina and LSU split the individual honors, while the Tigers held the slight edge of representation on first and second teams.

LSU star forward Angel Reese was named SEC Player of the Year after leading the league in scoring and rebounding at 19 points and 13 rebounds per game.

South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso earned SEC Defensive Player of the Year. The 6-foot-6 rim protector averaged an SEC-best 2.7 blocks per game and has been the Gamecocks' enforcer inside.

Reese and Cardoso were the lone unanimous first-team selections. Tennessee senior forward Rickea Jackson, Alabama senior guard Sarah Ashlee Barker and Reese's teammates Aneesah Morrow rounded out the first team.

Morrow landed the SEC Newcomer of the Year award. She has arguably been LSU's best all-around player, affecting the game on both ends of the court. The 6-foot guard/forward averages 2.7 steals per game, good enough for fourth in the conference while also putting up 16.8 points per game.

Coaching a entirely new starting five, Staley has guided South Carolina to its second straight undefeated regular season at 29-0 and for her efforts was selected SEC Coach of the Year.

Here are the selections from the nine participating writers who cover SEC women's basketball team for the USA Today Sports Network:

First Team

*F Angel Reese, LSU

*C Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina

F Rickea Jackson, Tennessee

G/F Aneesah Morrow, LSU

G Sarah Ashlee Barker, Alabama

Second Team

G Honesty Scott-Grayson, Auburn

G Flau'jae Johnson, LSU

G Te-Hina Paopao, South Carolina

F Jessika Carter, Mississippi State

F/G Madison Scott, Ole Miss

Coach of the Year

Dawn Staley, South Carolina

Player of the Year

Angel Reese, LSU

Newcomer of the Year

Aneesah Morrow, LSU

Defensive Player of the Year

Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina

*Unanimous selection

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: USA TODAY Sports Network 2024 All-SEC women's basketball awards