BIG WEST WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SPECIALTY AWARDS RELEASE
The Big West specialty awards featured two winners from schools that have a recent monopoly on those honors, as well as a historic first time honor for one of the league’s newest members.
Five-time regular season champion UC Davis claimed its second straight Best Defensive Player award in junior SAGE STOBBART, while Hawai’i continued to corner the market on the Best Sixth Player award, this time being won by freshman DAEJAH PHILLIPS. UC San Diego won a major award in its first season as a Division I member as TYLA TURNER claimed Best Hustle Player.
BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER • SAGE STOBBART, UC DAVIS
Junior • Post • North Vancouver, B.C. • Seycove Secondary HS
• Second straight Aggie to win Best Defensive Player and third overall.
• Led the Big West and ranked 16th in the NCAA in blocks per game (2.7).
• Ranks third in the Big West in defensive rebounds per game (6.7).
• Spearheaded UCD defense that led the Big West in defensive rebounds per game (29.9), blocks per game (4.17) and field goal percentage defense (34.3).
• Had career-high and single-game school record nine blocks against Hawai’i on March 5.
BEST HUSTLE PLAYER • TYLA TURNER, UC SAN DIEGO
Senior • Guard • San Bernardino, Calif. • Humboldt State
• First Triton to win a Big West award since program went Division I.
• In 15 games this season, averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.6 steals in 32.9 minutes per outing.
• Recorded 10 double-figure scoring games, six games of six rebounds or more and eight multi-steal games.
• Ranks third in the Big West in offensive rebounds per game (2.5), fifth in assists per game and eighth in total offensive rebounds (38).
BEST SIXTH PLAYER • DAEJAH PHILLIPS, HAWAI’I
Freshman • Guard • Las Vegas, Nev. • Centennial HS
• Sixth Rainbow Wahine player to win Best Sixth Player in the last nine seasons.
• Averaging 9.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 14 games.
• Six double-figure scoring games including a four-game stretch from February 6-26 during which she averaged 15.0 points.
• Has averaged 26.5 minutes per game, all off the bench, in her last eight outings.
• Averaged 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in six games during the month of February.
The league also announced a five-player All-Defensive team, the second year the team has been a part of the Big West awards. Hawai’i’s JADYNN ALEXANDER and Long Beach State’s JUSTINA KING both earned their second selections to the list, the first two players to repeat on the defensive honor roll. The rest of the team features Long Beach State’s MA’QHI BERRY and the UC Davis duo of KAYLA KONRAD and Stobbart.
BIG WEST ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
| PLAYER |
SCHOOL |
YEAR |
POSITION |
HOMETOWN |
| ^Jadynn Alexander |
Hawai'i |
Senior |
Guard |
Monroe, Wash. |
| Ma'Qhi Berry |
Long Beach State |
Junior |
Guard |
Irving, Texas |
| ^Justina King |
Long Beach State |
Junior |
Guard |
Scarborough, Canada |
| Kayla Konrad |
UC Davis |
Junior |
Forward |
Valencia, Calif. |
| Sage Stobbart |
UC Davis |
Junior |
Post |
North Vancouver, B.C. |
^Two-time All-Defensive Team selection