Pac-12 Players of the Week: Arizona State’s Arnecia Hawkins and Cal’s Kristine Anigwe
- Hoopfeed’s ballot: Player of the Week: Arnecia Hawkins (Arizona State) || Freshman of the Week: Kristine Anigwe (Cal)
Cheryl Coward, founding editor of Hoopfeed, participates in the weekly Pac-12 voting.
For games played Dec. 21 through 27 Arizona State’s Arnecia Hawkins was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the first time and Cal’s Kristine Anigwe was voted the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week for the fifth time.
Senior guard Hawkins (Mesa, Arizona) scored a career-high 23 points while playing a career-high 31 minutes in Arizona State’s 68-56 upset of No. 10 Florida State last Monday. She made all seven of her field goal attempts, including a trio of 3-pointers, and was 6-7 from the free throw line. Of her 23 points, 15 came over the last 12:23 of the game, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Hawkins connected on two crucial threes and a pair of free throws late in the game, the foul shots giving the Sun Devils their largest lead of the game, 61-45, with 2:30 left. Hawkins was also part of a defensive effort that held the Seminoles to 19.5 points below their scoring average. It is Hawkins’ first-career player of the week honor and the 38th all-time for ASU.
Despite playing just 32 minutes in No. 21 California’s 150-minute, double overtime tangle with No. 19 UCLA, Anigwe (Phoenix, Ariz.) notched her fourth consecutive double-double and fifth in six games turning in a 25-point, 10-rebound performance in the non-conference tilt. The forward’s work in the paint included five offensive boards, while her defensive effort included one block and two steals without committing a single turnover. Anigwe has scored in double figures in every game this season, including five 20-point performances, and is averaging 30.25 points per game in her last four outings. Anigwe’s five freshman of the week nods is two shy of the single-season record set by Washington’s Kelsey Plum in 2013-14. It is Cal’s eighth weekly rookie honor all-time.
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.
The Sun Devils and Golden Bears’ final non-conference game will be against CS Northridge, with ASU hosting the Matadors today at 3 p.m. MT and Cal hosting on Dec. 30. Cal then travels to face ASU in each team’s Pac-12 opener on Saturday, Jan. 2.
Also Nominated:
PLAYER: Taryn Griffey, ARIZ; Courtney Range, CAL; Jamee Swan, COLO; Gabriella Hanson, OSU; Erica McCall, STAN; Jordin Canada, UCLA; Paige Corzon, UTAH; Kelsey Plum, WASH.
FRESHMAN: Kenney Leonard, COLO; Taylor Kalmer, OSU; Alanna Smith, STAN.
2015-16 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week
| Date | Player | Freshman |
| Nov. 16 | Courtney Range, CAL | Kristine Anigwe, CAL |
| Nov. 23 | Jordin Canada, UCLA | Borislava Hristova, WSU |
| Nov. 30 | Lili Thompson, STAN | Kristine Anigwe, CAL |
| Dec. 7 | Jillian Alleyne, ORE | Kristine Anigwe, CAL |
| Dec. 14 | Emily Potter, UTAH | Kristine Anigwe, CAL |
| Dec. 21 | LiLi Thompson, STAN | Maite Cazorla, ORE |
| Dec. 27 | Arnecia Hawkins, ASU | Kristine Anigwe, CAL |
