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 UCLA and USC. It's the Australian forward's fourth career weekly conference honor and her third of the season.
Smith had double-doubles in both games and averaged 22.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in the victories. She had 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks in the Cardinal's 65-51 win at UCLA. After losing the nail on her right index finger in the opening minutes at USC, the senior gutted out 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks and hit the game-winning layup with 3.1 seconds remaining in a 69-67 win.
Smith also surpassed 1,500 career points against the Trojans, becoming the 16th player in program history to hit the mark. Eight of her 18 career double-doubles have come in the last 16 games.
Smith is on a laundry of watch lists including the Katrina McClain Award, Wooden Award, Wade Trophy, Naismith Trophy and Senior CLASS Award, and has backed up that recognition with her play. She is shooting 51.8 percent from the field (191-of-369), 41.7 percent from behind the arc (60-of-144) and averaging a team-high 20.3 points per game to go with 8.2 rebounds.
Smith is one of two players in the country averaging 20.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game this season along with Princeton's Bella Alarie. She is tracking to join Elena Delle Donne as the only players 6-foot-4 and taller over the past 20 years to shoot better than 40 percent from 3-point range for an entire season. Delle Donne made 41.3 percent as a freshman at Delaware in 2009-10 (NCAA minimum of two made 3-pointers per game).
The 6-foot-4 Smith is 15th in school history in scoring (1,511) and second in blocks (210) and has made 134 career 3-pointers. She is within range of joining an elite company of players that have put together careers of 1,600 points, 150 made triples and 200 blocks. Since 1999-00, the only three to do that are Delle Donne (3,039 points; 206 3-pointers; 273 blocks), Maya Moore (3,036 points; 311 3-pointers; 204 blocks) and Breanna Stewart (2,676 points; 152 3-pointers; 414 blocks).
Smith and the No. 7 Cardinal wrap up their regular-season home schedule this weekend with Arizona on Friday (7 p.m.) and No. 17 Arizona State on Sunday (1 p.m.).
