Anigwe Earns National and Pac-12 Player of the Week

BERKELEY -  After opening the 2018-19 season with national and conference honors, Cal senior Kristine Anigwe has capped the regular season in just the same manner. Anigwe was named the ESPNW National Player of the Week and Pac-12 Player of the Week after a dominant weekend, both outlets announced on Monday. The 6’4” Anigwe averaged 26 points and 24 rebounds per game as Cal completed the road sweep of Washington and Washington State, shooting 63 percent from the floor on the weekend.

This is the second ESPNW National Player of the Week honor of the year for Anigwe and her fifth Pac-12 nod of the season. This also marks the second consecutive week that Cal has collected Pac-12 Player of the Week honors, with grad transfer Recee Caldwell being recognized the previous week.

Anigwe opened the road trip with 20 points, 18 rebounds and two blocked shots in Cal’s 71-65 win at Washington, before closing the regular season in record-setting fashion in Sunday’s regular season finale at Washington State. Anigwe went off for 32 points and 30 rebounds in Cal’s 80-58 win over the Cougars, becoming the first women’s Division I player in 16 seasons to have 30 points and 30 rebounds in the same game. The last player to have a 30/30 game was UMass’s Jennifer Butler, who had 30 points and 30 rebounds against Florida on December 28, 2002. 

Anigwe’s 30 rebounds tied the Pac-12 single-game record and are the most by any player in a game this season. The 6’4” Anigwe single-handedly outrebounded the Cougars on Sunday, finishing with 30 rebounds – 10 offensive and 20 defensive – to just 22 for the Washington State team. Anigwe’s 30 rebounds also surpassed the rebounding total of 11 other teams that were in action on Sunday. With 32 points against the Cougars, Anigwe tied her career-best for points in a Pac-12 game and registered her fifth 30-point performance of the conference campaign. 

With her performance this weekend, Anigwe also extended her double-double streak to 30 in a row, breaking the previous conference record of 29 consecutive double-doubles held by former Oregon standout Jillian Alleyne. Anigwe’s 30-game double-double streak is the longest active streak in the nation and the fourth-longest in Division I women’s basketball history. 

A semifinalist for the 2019 Naismith Trophy, Anigwe and the Golden Bears will be back in action on Thursday, taking on the Cougars in the 7-vs-10 game of the Pac-12 Tournament.