Biography
AWARDS
• Named Mid-Major Freshman All-American Third Team by FullCourt.com.
• Named 2015-16 Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference (second team)
• Led Sun Belt in 3-point baskets made per game (2015 and 2016)
• Named MVP of Stetson Hatter Classic
ACADEMICS
• Fall 2014 A.D.Honor Roll
• Summer 2014 A. D. Honor Roll
• Interdisciplinary Studies major
CAREER
Has scored 594 points in her 51 games as a freshman and sophomore, averaging 11.6 points per game...Ponder has actually only started 24 of those 51 games and averaged playing 23 minutes per game for her career.
Has 31 career double-figure scoring games that includes 7 games with 20 or more points...Had 16 double-figure games as sophomore and 15 as a freshman...Ponder has led team in scoring in each of first two seasons.
Has led the Sun Belt Conference in most 3-point baskets made per game in each of the last two seasons (2.46 per game as a freshman and 2.30 as a sophomore).
Produced 122 3-point baskets to already rank No. 5 in school history with two seasons to go...Chasing leader Kendra Long with 221 (2011-14) and runner-up Kelcey Roegiers-Jensen with 154 (2003-07).
Her 69 3-point baskets as a freshman tied the school mark for a season (Carmelita Layog, 2000) and her 53 as a sophomore were ninth-most made in a season in school history.
Ponder's career free throw percentage (.792 on 84-of-106) is the third-best career percentage...Her .824 made in 2015-16 is the seventh-best single season free throw percentage.
Wore No. 10 as a freshman, then switched to No. 24 as a sophomore in memory of a good friend who was killed in an auto accident in 2014.
2015-16
Repeated as the Sun Belt leader in 3-point baskets made per game (2.30) and was No. 82 in NCAA...Made 53 treys in her 23 games played. Those 53 were ninth-most in a season in school history.
Scored in double figures in 16 of the 23 games she was able to play and finished season with 277 points (12.0 per game) to rank No. 12 in the Sun Belt.
Finished No. 3 in Sun Belt in free throw percentage (82.4 on 42 of 51), making final nine straight to end season...Finished No. 11 in Sun Belt in steals per game (1.78 per game).
Had career-best 26-point game in win at Stetson (Dec. 21), making 6-of-12 3-point shots, including a trey with 54 seconds in regulation to help force OT, then a clutch trey to give GSU the lead in the OT.
Opened season with 19-point night in GSU's win at Kennesaw State (Nov. 13), making 4-of-9 3-point baskets...Also had 19-point game at UL Lafayette (March 3), making 5-of-8 3-point baskets and 7-of-11 overall.
Defensive efforts included a six-steal game in the win vs. Bethune-Cookman (Dec. 20) at Stetson Hatter Invitational. The two-day production there earned her Tournament Most Valuable Player honors.
Had a personal-best 7-rebound game in win over UL Monroe (Jan. 14), one game after having 6 rebounds vs. South Alabama (Jan. 9). Also had two more 6-rebound games (Feb. 4, Texas State and Feb. 22, at Georgia Southern) in a pair of Georgia State wins.
Had 5-assist game vs. Morehead State (Nov. 21) for a career-best total.
Had a 4-point play against UL Monroe (March 5) when she made a 3-point basket and was fouled on that play.
Missed six full games, but played 23 of the 29 and averaged 27.4 minutes per game on the season with 630 minutes played, second-most on the team.
2014-15
Led the Sun Belt in 3-point baskets made per game (2.5) and was No. 61 in NCAA...Shot 40.4 outside the 3-point line to rank No. 2 in Sun Belt/No. 34 NCAA.
Tied the GSU school record for 3-point baskets made in a season (69).
Led GSU in scoring with 317 points and 11.3 ppg to rank No. 16 in Sun Belt.
Played 28 of 30 games, missing a pair with an injury...Logged 543 minutes, sixth highest on the team.
Produced six games with 20 or more points scored, topped by 23 points at Troy (Feb. 28), making 9 of 12 shots and 5 of 8 3-point baskets...Scored 22 points vs. La Salle (Dec. 20) and 22 points in Sports Arena vs. Troy (Jan. 10)...Had 15 games scoring in double figures.
Top 3-point game was 7 of 9, all in the second half, at Morehead State (Dec. 7) and was one basket shy of school record...Had 21 points that afternoon.
Made 6 3-pointers vs. Troy (Jan. 10)...Nailed 5 treys in three games: at South Alabama (Feb. 7), at UL Monroe (March 5) and at Troy (Feb. 28).
Started her career by making a 3-point basket in her first 10 college games before finally going 0 for 4 vs. UALR (Jan. 3).
Shot 76.4 percent from free throw line and had 7-for-7 game vs. South Alabama (Feb. 19)...Also had four more games with 4 of 4 from the free throw line.
Had 55 rebounds (2.0 per game) with four boards in a game four times...Added 25 assists with three in three games.
PREP
A prolific scorer at Colquitt County High School, Ponder poured in 2,071 points...Averaged 24.5 points per game as senior and 20.9 as junior.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution named her first-team Georgia All-State in state's largest classification, Class AAAAAA...Was Region 1 Player of Year or co-Player of Year last three years under coach Rondesha Williams.
Led all state Class AAAAAA schools in scoring (24.5), in 3-point baskets (88) and in free throw shooting (85 percent) in 2013-14...Was No. 10 in state in assists (91, 3.5) and No. 13 in state in steals (83, 3.2) as senior.
Terrific outside shooter who netted 232 3-point baskets in career, one of which officially put her over the 2,000-point scoring milestone.
Highest-scoring game was 45 points against Brunswick...Top game for 3-point baskets was seven made.
Yearly scoring breakdown was 638 points as senior (24.5), 607 as junior (20.9), 541 as sophomore (19.3) and 285 as freshman (10.9).
Played AAU ball with Georgia Metros under coach Shari Griggs...First seen by Georgia State as sophomore in summer AAU ball and that helped in her decision when other schools came calling during her senior season.
Assistant coach Stephanie Cody helped Ponder develop consistent and quick release on 3-point shot.
PERSONAL
Born Makeba Quantea Ponder on Sept. 12, 1995 in Moultrie, Ga., a town of 15,000 residents about 200 miles south of Atlanta.
Daughter of Marcus and Shantae, and is oldest of five siblings...Brothers Shahem, 17, and Montavious, 14, are already into sports, especially basketball. Sisters Gla'nijh, 9, and Fredrika, 6, have plenty of time before organized sports kick in.
Grandfather owns a restaurant in Moultrie and father still works there.
Changed her number to 24 in loving memory of one of her best friends, Xavier Terry, who was killed in an auto accident in 2014...Observed WNBA star and former Connecticut player, Maya Moore, as an influence on her game because Ponder liked Moore's determination, emotional level and how Moore lived up to the hype of a star and leader.
When not actually playing basketball, enjoys playing basketball in video game-style.
Ponder maintained good grades and qualified above the 3.0 GPA needed to be a Hope Scholar in Georgia...Favorite subjects were math and algebra.
Majoring in sociology at GSU...Considering become a basketball coach.
