Smith Repeats as Player of the Year, Highlights WBB’s Big 12 Honors

[Pirtle, Krista]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 7, 2022

Smith Repeats as Player of the Year, Highlights WBB’s Big 12 Honors
Senior becomes fifth player to go back-to-back as the Big 12 Player of the Year
For more information contact: Krista Pirtle, 254-447-8610, Krista_Pirtle at baylor.edu<mailto:Krista_Pirtle at baylor.edu>


WACO, Texas – Baylor’s NaLyssa Smith was the unanimous choice for the Big 12 Player of the Year, as she becomes the fifth player in Big 12 history, and the first since 2013, to go back-to-back.



The league office announced the 2022 Big 12 Postseason Awards with Smith taking home the top individual honor, while four others from the regular-season champion, No. 4 Bears were honored.



Smith averaged a Big 12-best 23.1 points and 10.7 rebounds in conference games. After averaging 19 points and nine rebounds through BU’s first eight conference games, the senior forward hit a new level to propel the Bears to a 10-0 finish and their 12th-straight regular-season championship as she averaged 26.3 points and 12.1 rebounds per game.



The Converse, Texas, native becomes the first player to win back-to-back Player of the Year honors in the Big 12 since Brittney Griner’s three-straight selections from 2011-13. Courtney Paris (Oklahoma, 2007-09), Nicole Ohlde (Kansas State, 2003-04) and Stacey Dales (Oklahoma, 2001-02) are the only other Big 12 players to accomplish the feat.


Jordan Lewis became the third-straight Bear to claim Newcomer of the Year honors as the Alabama graduate transfer averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 assists per game with a 2.32 assist-to-turnover ratio. Lewis is the NCAA Division I record holder with 160 career games played.


Smith – a unanimous pick – and Lewis were named to the All-Big 12 First Team. Smith was also named to the Big 12 All-Defensive Team.



Sarah Andrews garnered second-team honors as she averaged 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.



Queen Egbo and Ja’Mee Asberry were each named All-Big 12 honorable mention. Egbo put up 12.1 points and 8.9 boards in league play, while Asberry logged 9.9 points to go with a 39.3 percent showing from the perimeter.



Smith’s nod as Big 12 Player of the Year marks the 13th time a Bear has taken home the league’s top individual honor, and it is the fifth-straight year that at least one entity has named a Baylor player to the award.



Lewis is the 10th Baylor player in history to be named Newcomer of the Year. Since the graduate transfer rule has been implemented, Baylor has had one such player win the Newcomer of the Year Award in the Big 12 in four-straight seasons – Lewis (2022), DiJonai Carrington (2021), Te’a Cooper (2020) and Chloe Jackson (2019).



The All-Big 12 honors were chosen by head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own student-athletes.



For the latest news on the Baylor women’s basketball team all season long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWBB.



www.BaylorBears.com

Krista Pirtle | Associate Director of Athletics Communications
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
C: 254-447-8610

[signature_1415018582]<http://www.baylorbears.com/>

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