STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford's Alanna Smith has been named Pac-12 Player of the Week for her performances in the Cardinal's road sweep of No. 19 Arizona State and Arizona. It's the Australian forward's third career weekly conference honor and her second of the season.
Smith averaged a double-double of 22.5 points and 10.0 rebounds in the two wins, to go along with 4.0 blocks, a .548 field goal percentage and a .556 3-point percentage. She had 25 points and six rebounds in Stanford's 72-65 victory in Tempe on Friday night and followed that up with a near triple-double of 20 points, 14 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks in Sunday's 78-48 rout in Tucson.
Smith is averaging 19.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.4 blocks in 15 games this season, one of two players in the country averaging 19/7/2/2 (Bella Alarie – Princeton). The only player in the nation shooting better than 54 percent from the floor and 48 percent from deep, Smith's .488 3-point percentage (39-of-80) is fourth nationally. Elena Delle Donne is the only player 6-foot-4 and taller over the past 20 years to shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range when she made 41.3 percent as a freshman at Delaware in 2009-10 (NCAA minimum of two made 3-pointers per game).
Smith has double-doubles in four of her last six games and is 26th in school history in scoring (1,300) and fifth in blocks (183).
No. 6 Stanford, up to second in the NCAA RPI, is back at home this weekend and hosts Washington on Friday night (7 p.m.) and Washington State on Sunday (12 p.m.).
