STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA/MSU Athletics) – Teaira McCowan is once again being recognized for her defensive play.

Mississippi State’s senior center has been named a semifinalist for the Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Award presented by Bona, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced on Tuesday.

After winning the inaugural award last year, the Brenham, Texas, native is one of two SEC players in the running for this year’s honor. She has blocked shots at a rate of 2.6 bpg, the highest of her career, this year. According to HerHoopStats.com, McCowan blocks 9.0 percent of her opponents’ field goal attempts inside the arc, which puts her in the top three percent of the nation.

McCowan grabs the rebound on 26.3 percent of her opportunities, the nation’s best rate. She is second in the nation and leads the SEC in rebounding (13.6 rpg). She has also added 20 steals this season.

She is third among active players in Division I with 1,354 career rebounds which leads the SEC and is an MSU record. Her 248 blocks rank second among active SEC players.

The Bulldogs fell one spot in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today Coaches’ Poll this week to No. 6. MSU returns to the court on Thursday, Feb. 21 at Ole Miss. Tipoff in Oxford, Mississippi, is set for 7 p.m. CT on SEC Network+.