Anigwe Named Pac-12 Defensive Player of The Year

Link: https://calbea.rs/2EA6mk6
 
SAN FRANCISCO  -  Cal senior Kristine Anigwe can yet another accolade to her growing list of achievements from the 2018-19 season: Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. 

In a vote of the conference’s 12 women’s basketball head coaches, Anigwe was tabbed as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, the conference announced on Tuesday evening. Oregon’s Sabrina Ionescu was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Year, while Utah’s Dre’Una Edwards won Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, Oregon State’s Aleah Goodman was named Pac-12 Sixth Player of the Year, and Oregon head coach Kelly Graves was selected as the 2019 John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

Anigwe, the 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, is the first Golden Bear to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors in the 12-year history of the award. UCLA guard Jordin Canada won the award last season. 

One of the most dominant interior players in the nation since her arrival in Berkeley, Anigwe has elevated her game to new heights this season. The 6’4” senior leads the nation in rebounding at 16.4 rebounds per game, nearly three rebounds ahead of any other player in Division I basketball this season, men’s or women’s. Anigwe’s production has only increased in Pac-12 play, averaging 18.1 rebounds per game in conference play. Her 11.9 defensive rebounds per game in Pac-12 play surpass the total rebounding numbers of any other player in the conference this season. 

Anigwe’s 476 total rebounds this season are currently the third-highest single-season total in conference history and she is on pace for the highest rebounds per game average ever by a Pac-12 player. In addition to her dominance on the boards, Anigwe is averaging 1.8 blocked shots and 1.0 steals per game in Pac-12 this season and is one blocked shot away from matching Cal’s career record.

Just the 15th player in Pac-12 history to earn All-Conference all four years, Anigwe has been a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor this season. Anigwe ranks second in the conference and sixth in the nation in scoring at 23.1 points per game this season. The only player in Division I basketball, men’s or women’s, to record a double-double in every game this season, Anigwe has a streak of 30 consecutive double-doubles dating back to the end of the 2017-18 campaign, the longest active streak in the nation and the fourth-longest in Division I history.

Anigwe’s 30th consecutive double-double, which set a new Pac-12 best, came in historic fashion as Anigwe finished with 32 points and 30 rebounds in Cal’s regular season finale against Washington State. Anigwe is the first Pac-12 player to ever record 30 points and 30 rebounds in the same game and the first player in the nation with a 30-30 performance since 2002.

Anigwe and the Golden Bears will tip off play in the 2019 Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday, squaring off against 10-seed Washington State at 6 p.m. PT. The Bears and Cougars met on Sunday to end the regular season, resulting in an 80-58 win for Cal behind a 32-point, 30-rebound performance from Anigwe is the first player since 2002 to record 30 points and 30 rebounds in the same game and the first player ever in conference history to record a 30-30 game.