Pac-12 announces women's basketball players of the week

SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference office announced today the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week for the final week of the regular season. STANFORD’s Erica McCall is voted the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the first time in her career, while CALIFORNIA’s Kristine Anigwe is named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for a Conference-record eighth time this season.

A junior out of Bakersfield, Calif., Erica McCall posted back-to-back 20-point games for the first time in her career. With Lili Thompson out against OSU, McCall lead the Cardinal to an upset of No. 7 Oregon State, 76-54, as well as a decisive 69-42 victory over Oregon to close out the regular season tied for third in the league standings. She was an impressive 3-for-5 from three-point range against the Beavers, after only attempting one three in 99 career games. Her 25 points in 26 minutes spurred the Stanford program to its 1,000th all-time victory, becoming only the seventh team in NCAA history to reach the milestone. McCall scored another 25 against the Ducks, also pulling down a career-high 18 boards and nabbing a career-high four steals. McCall averaged 25.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, shooting 56.1 percent from the floor. She also had four blocks over the two games giving her 60 for the season making her one of only four players in Stanford history to have as many in a single season. In the Cardinal’s last five, McCall is averaging 20.6 points on 59 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds and 3.0 blocks. McCall was also named the ESPNW National Player of the Week for her efforts. It is the first-career Conference weekly honor for McCall and the 105th all-time for Stanford.

Kristine Anigwe (Phoenix, Ariz.) wrapped up regular-season play by averaging nearly 20 points per game in California’s final weekend against Oregon and No. 7 Oregon State. Anigwe shot 47.1 percent and racked up six offensive boards with 14 total rebounds on the weekend. She led the Bears in a 65-54 win over Oregon, then followed it up with a game-high 21-point performance against seventh-ranked Oregon State despite facing 2015 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Ruth Hamblin in the paint. With Anigwe’s help, Cal nearly pulled off the upset against the Beavers, going so far as to tie the game with a jumper from the freshman to open the fourth quarter before OSU pulled away for a 54-44 win. Anigwe finishes the regular season with a double-figure scoring outing in 27 of her 28 appearances and 14 20-point games this season. The eight freshman of the week honors breaks the record set by current Washington junior Kelsey Plum, who was named the freshman of the week seven times in 2013-14. It is also the 11th all-time for the Golden Bear program, tying for the second most for any team.

A player of the week has been selected every week since 1986-87, the first year the Conference sponsored women’s sports. A freshman of the week was first selected in 2012-13. The Pac-12 Player and Freshman of the Week are voted on by a panel of media that regularly cover Pac-12 women’s basketball.

All 12 league teams are preparing for the 2016 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Tournament in Seattle, March 3-6. No. 10 seed Cal will help to tip-off the tournament, facing seventh-seeded Utah on Thursday in the first game of the event. The Cardinal opens its postseason action on Friday after earning a first-round bye. Stanford is the No. 4 seed overall. For tickets to the event, visit pac-12.com/tickets.

Also Nominated:

PLAYER: LaBrittney Jones, ARIZ; Kristine Anigwe, CAL; Haley Smith, COLO; Ruth Hamblin, OSU; Nirra Fields, UCLA; Paige Crozon, UTAH; Kelsey Plum, WASH; Borislava Hristonva, WSU.

FRESHMAN: Kennedy Leonard, COLO; Borislava Hristova, WSU.

2015-16 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week