BIG WEST 2021 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS & ALL-CONFERENCE RELEASETweet #BWWBB

The 2020-21 edition of the Big West Women’s Basketball major awards were split among the top two teams in the standings in UC Davis and UC Irvine.

The league’s Player of the Year award went to UC Davis’ CIERRA HALL, while the Aggies also claimed a historic piece of the Coach of the Year award in JENNIFER GROSS. The Anteaters had standout guard KAYLA WILLIAMS named Freshman of the Year while TAMARA INOUE shared Coach of the Year honors with Gross.

PLAYER OF THE YEAR • CIERRA HALL, UC DAVIS
Senior • Forward • Cypress, Calif. • Fairmont Prep Academy

• Is just the third player in league history to win the Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards in her career (Kemie Nkele - UCR, Channon Fluker, CSUN).

• Second Aggie in three years to win Player of the Year (Morgan Bertsch - 2019).

• Averaging 14.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while shooting 48.8% from three-point land and 85.7% from the foul line.

• Recorded three 20-point games, two double-doubles and scored in double figures in all but three games this season.

• Two-time Big West Player of the Week.

• Hit her first 34 free throws of the season, breaking the school record for consecutive makes.

• Four games of three or more makes from beyond the arc and twice attempted double-digit free throws in a game.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR • KAYLA WILLIAMS, UC IRVINE
Guard • Los Angeles, Calif. • Bishop Montgomery HS

• Third Anteater to win Freshman of the Year award (Jazmyne White - 2010, Jordan Sanders - 2018).

• Ranks first in the Big West in steals per game (2.7), third in scoring (14.8), second in assists (4.4), 10th in free throw shooting (74.8) and fourth in minutes played per game (34.6).

• Among all freshmen in the country, ranks 13th in scoring per game and is tied for seventh in assists per game.

• Has posted 17 double-figure scoring games including a career-high 32 at Cal Poly on January 23.

• Eight games of five or more assists including career-high 10 on December 28 at UC Santa Barbara.

• Made seven threes in that Cal Poly game, third-most in a single game in program history.

• Named Big West Player of the Week on January 25.

CO-COACH OF THE YEAR • JENNIFER GROSS, UC DAVIS

• Fifth straight Coach of the Year award, extending own Big West record. No other coach has more than three in a row

• Five Coach of the Year honors is second-most in league history behind UC Santa Barbara’s Mark French (7).

• Led UC Davis to its fifth consecutive Big West regular season title and the fifth straight top seed at the Big West Tournament.

• Five straight titles matches the longest run of championships in non-divisional play in league history (UC Santa Barbara 2001-05).

CO-COACH OF THE YEAR • TAMARA INOUE, UC IRVINE

• First Anteater to win Coach of the Year since Colleen Matsuhara in 1995 and just the second overall.

• Led UCI to its second-straight top two finish in the Big West and first No. 2 seed since 1998.

• UC Irvine holds league-highs in overall wins (13) and road wins (7).

• Led UCI to 11 wins in league play, the most for the program since winning the same amount in 1998.

The league also announced the All-Conference lists, highlighted by a six-player first team. Cal Poly and UC Davis each placed two players on the list, with the Mustangs’ SIERRA
CAMPISANO leading the way with her second straight first team honor. She is the lone player to repeat as a first team honoree.

FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG WEST

PLAYER	SCHOOL	YEAR	POSITION	HOMETOWN
^Sierra Campisano	Cal Poly	Senior	Forward	San Diego, Calif.
Abbey Ellis	Cal Poly	Sophomore	Guard	Yallambie, Australia
Justina King	Long Beach State	Junior	Guard	Scarborough, Canada
Cierra Hall	UC Davis	Senior	Forward	Cypress, Calif.
Sage Stobbart	UC Davis	Junior	Post	North Vancouver, B.C.
Kayla Williams	UC Irvine	Freshman	Guard	Los Angeles, Calif.

^Two-time first team All-Big West selection
 

PLAYER	SCHOOL	YEAR	POSITION	HOMETOWN
Jayden Eggleston	CSU Bakersfield	Junior	Forward	Las Vegas, Nev.
Amy Atwell	Hawai'i	Senior	Forward	South Perth, Australia
Keilanei Cooper	UC Riverside	Senior	Guard	Murrieta, Calif.
Sydney Brown	UC San Diego	Junior	Guard/Forward	Rexford, N.Y.
Doris Jones	UC Santa Barbara	Senior	Guard	Oakland, Calif.

 

PLAYER	SCHOOL	YEAR	POSITION	HOMETOWN
Jadynn Alexander	Hawai'i	Senior	Guard	Monroe, Wash.
Mackenzie Trpcic	UC Davis	Senior	Guard	Hamilton, Ontario
Chloe Webb	UC Irvine	Sophomore	Guard	San Diego, Calif.
Tyla Turner	UC San Diego	Senior	Guard	San Bernardino, Calif.
Taylor Mole	UC Santa Barbara	Junior	Forward	Hobart, Tasmania, Australia