Baylor WBB’s Smith Named AP All-American

[Robarts, Kyle]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 17, 2021

Baylor WBB’s Smith Named AP All-American
Junior power forward among five first-team selections for nation’s elite
For more information contact: Kyle Robarts, 254-405-9492, Kyle_Robarts at baylor.edu<mailto:Kyle_Robarts at baylor.edu>

Smith head shot: https://www.dropbox.com/s/q5xfe1iu1x9f4tp/BU_WBB_Smith_NaLyssa_20-21.JPG?dl=0

WACO, Texas – The Associated Press announced its NCAA Women’s Basketball All-America teams Wednesday, and Baylor junior power forward NaLyssa Smith was a first-team selection.

Smith was joined by Louisville’s Dana Evans, South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston, UConn’s Paige Bueckers, and Kentucky’s Rhyne Howard.

A Converse, Texas, native, Smith is just the seventh Lady Bear in Baylor history to be named a first-team All-American by the AP while Sophia Young (2005-06), Brittney Griner (2011-13), and Odyssey Sims (2012-14) have been multiple first-team selections for the program.

Smith is the Big 12 Player of the Year, the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Championship and was already a ESPN.com First-Team All-American last week.

She’s led Baylor to its 12th Big 12 Regular Season Championship, the 11th Big 12 Tournament Championship in program history, and the Lady Bears are a No. 2 seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Smith, through 27 games, has averaged 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game while shooting 54.3 percent from the field and 80.6 percent from the charity stripe. She added 32 steals on defense to go with 19 blocks for the 25-2 Lady Bears.

The AP selected Smith as an honorable mention All-American last season and a preseason honorable mention All-American prior to the 2020-21 season. She is also in the running for three national player of the year awards, including the John R. Wooden Award, the Wade Trophy award and the Naismith Trophy award.

Baylor plays Jackson State Sunday at 3 p.m. on ABC at the Alamodome in San Antonio to open the 2021 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament. The Lady Bears are the defending national champions.

First Team
Paige Bueckers, UConn, 5-11, freshman, Hopkins, Minn., 19.7 ppg, 53.9 fg pct, 6.1 apg, 2.29 steals
Dana Evans, Louisville, 5-6, senior, Gary, Ind., 20 ppg, 43.2 fg pct, 4.2 apg
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina, 6-5, sophomore, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, 13.69 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 50.2 fg pct, 1.6 apg, 2.8 blocks
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky, 6-2, junior, Cleveland, Tenn., 20.7 ppg, 44.8 fg pct, 3.5 apg, 2.32 steals
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor, 6-2, junior, Converse, Texas, 18.1 ppg, 54.3 fg pct
Second Team
Elissa Cunane, NC State, 6-5, junior, Summerfield, N.C., 16.8 ppg, 57.0 fg pct
Naz Hillmon, Michigan, 6-2, junior, Cleveland, Ohio, 25.1 ppg, 63.7 fg pct
Aari McDonald, Arizona, 5-7, senior, Fresno, Calif., 19.3 ppg, 38.9 fg pct, 4.5 apg, 2.71 steals
Caitlin Clark, Iowa, 6-0, freshman, West Des Moines, Iowa, 26.7 ppg, 47.0 fg pct, 7.2 apg
Charli Collier, Texas, 6-5, junior, Mont Belvieu, Texas, 20.1 ppg, 51.3 fg pct, 1.1 blocks
Third Team
Natasha Mack, Oklahoma State, 6-4, senior, Lufkin, Texas, 19.8 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 53.1 fg pct, 4.1 blocks, 2.04 steals
Ashley Owusu, Maryland, 6-0, sophomore, Woodbridge, Va., 18.3 ppg, 48.5 fg pct, 5.8 apg
Michaela Onyenwere, UCLA, 5-11, senior, Aurora, Colo., 18.7 ppg, 41.8 fg pct
Kiana Williams, Stanford, 5-8, senior, San Antonio, Texas, 14.3 ppg, 42 fg pct
Chelsea Dungee, Arkansas, 5-11, senior, Sapulpa, Okla., 22.2 ppg, 42.7 fg pct


www.BaylorBears.com


___________________________________
Kyle Robarts | Associate Director, Athletics Communications (WBB, WTEN)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3042 | C: 254-405-9492

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