FRISCO, Texas – Three New Orleans Privateers women's basketball players earned All-Academic recognition from the Southland Conference.
Lauren Banks,
Aaliyah Ellis and
Jayla Owen all earned that distinction as announced by the conference office on Friday morning.
Banks, who came to New Orleans as a graduate student and finished the season strong on the court. She had three straight games of 20 or more points to close out the regular season and averaged 9.2 points along with 5.5 rebounds per game. In the classroom, Banks carries a 4.0 GPA with a major in Clinical Mental Health Counseling.
Ellis started 16 games for the Privateers last season and shot 92.3 percent from the free throw line. She has a 3.8 cumulative GPA with a Master's in Psychology. Ellis scored in double figures three times during the season including a season-high 13 points against Loyola (N.O.).
Owen achieved a perfect 4.0 GPA in the recently completed spring semester and has a 3.9 cumulative mark while majoring in Psychology. The Quebec, Canada native played in 28 games for the Privateers in the recently completed 2025-26 season. She scored a season-high 10 points twice against Lamar and Northwestern State.
The trio of Privateers represents the first to earn Southland All-Academic honors since Shania Woods accomplished the feat in 2019 and the most representation on an All-Academic list since joining the Southland.
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