Princeton's Bella Alarie scored 45 points against Columbia on February 1.
The NCAA.com Starting Five honors a starting lineup of players from around the country who enjoyed standout performances for that week. Here's the starters for the week of Jan. 30-Feb. 5.
Women's basketball: Scores | Rankings
Bella Alarie, Princeton
Bella Alarie of Princeton gained membership to an exclusive club over the weekend, becoming just the second player in Princeton basketball history to score at least 45 points in a game, joining Hall of Famer Bill Bradley (1965) on the prestigious list.
Alarie set the Ivy League single-game records for points (45) and field goals (20) against Columbia on Feb. 1 as the Tigers prevailed 79-64. She was 20-of-28 from the floor, secured 14 rebounds and added four blocks. Alarie also broke the program record for blocks. The junior’s 45 points are the most by an opponent (men or women) in Columbia’s Levien Gym history.
Thoughts from #⃣3⃣1⃣ about tonight's victory that featured one of the greatest individual performances in @IvyLeague history!
— Princeton WBB (@PrincetonWBB) February 2, 2019
❗️🐯🏀❗️#RiseAsOne pic.twitter.com/uro6Ir2HkB
The 2018 Ivy League Player of the Year came back the next night at Cornell to score 21 points, grab 10 rebounds, hand out five assists, block two shots and add a steal as Princeton won 75-46. In spite of sitting out the fourth quarter, Alarie achieved her third straight double-double.
Princeton, 10-8 overall and 2-1 in Ivy play, returns home this weekend to face Yale on Feb. 8 and Brown on Feb. 9.
RANKINGS: UConn's spot in the poll is one it hasn't been in since 2007
Kristine Anigwe, California
California senior forward Kristine Anigwe became the first NCAA Division I women’s player this season to record back-to-back 20-point, 20-rebound games, averaging 22.5 points and 22.0 rebounds in California’s home-and-home series last week against No. 8 Stanford.
The senior forward scored a game-high 25 points in Cal's 81-80 upset victory over Stanford on Thursday, grabbing a season-high 24 rebounds, becoming the first player in 20 years to record a 20/20 game against the Cardinal all-time. She then tallied a game-high 20 points and 20 boards in the Bears’ 75-50 loss to Stanford on Saturday.
A three-time honorable mention All-American, Anigwe leads the nation in both double-doubles (21) and rebounding (15.6 rebounds per game) this season, while also ranking sixth in the nation in scoring at 22.4 points per game. Anigwe has recorded a double-double in every game this season and has a streak of 22 consecutive double-doubles dating back to the end of the 2017-18 season, the fifth-longest streak in Division I basketball history.
This week’s @CitizenWatchUS Naismith Trophy Women’s POW, @KristineAnigwe of @CalWBBall, recorded back to back 20 point-20 rebound double-doubles last week, becoming the first player in 20 years to record a 20/20 game against Stanford in a classic @pac12 matchup! #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/TXJ27sUyiB
— The Naismith Trophy (@NaismithTrophy) February 5, 2019
Anigwe also continues to make her mark on the Cal record books and is currently tied with Colleen Galloway for the most career points (2,320) in program history. The 6'4" Anigwe is also nearing in on the program's all-time rebounding and blocked shots records while ranking in the Top-10 in conference history in both scoring and rebounding.
Anigwe and the Golden Bears, 14-7 overall and 5-5 in the Pac-12 Conference, will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 8 hosting No. 3 Oregon.
Team of the Week: UNC picks up honor after giving NC State first lost of season
Reyna Frost, Central Michigan
Central Michigan senior Reyna Frost scored 28 points and hauled down 21 rebounds on Saturday as the Chippewas won the battle of Mid-American Conference heavyweights, topping Buffalo, 76-65.
Frost a 6-0 forward, connected on 12 of her 13 field goal attempts while also matching her season-high with 21 rebounds as she posted her 17th double-double of the season, which ranks third among Division I players this season. Her performance against the Bulls marked the second time this year that Frost has gone over the 20 mark in both points and rebounds in the same game.
With the win, Central Michigan and Buffalo are now both 6-2 in league play. The Chippewas, 15-5 overall, lead the MAC West. Buffalo (14-5) is a game behind Ohio in the East. The Chippewas and Bulls will meet again during the regular season in Buffalo on Feb. 16. Both Central Michigan and Buffalo are coming off a season in which each program advanced to the regional round of the NCAA tournament for the first time.
The Chippewas will next play at Ball State on Wednesday, Feb. 6.
Question: What do you get when you put up 28 points with 21 rebounds in a MAC rivalry win?
— Central Michigan WBB (@CMUWBBall) February 5, 2019
Answer: You earn yourself a sixth MAC West Player of the Week selection. #ReyBound #FrostAdvisory 🥶🏀🔥👆🏻 pic.twitter.com/kOb15evSZd
Megan Gustafson, Iowa
In what has become a weekly tradition, Iowa’s Megan Gustafson was named the Big Ten Player of the Week. It is the 10th time this season she has earned the honor and the record 20th Big Ten Player of the Week Award of Gustafson's career. She now owns the conference record for career weekly awards, besting Jantel Lavender's (Ohio State) previous mark of 19. Gustafson also broke her own single-season record with her 10th honor this season.
The Port Wing, Wisconsin, native averaged 28.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, and shot 75.0 percent from the field in two road contests last week as Iowa split a pair of road games, losing 90-81 at Michigan before bouncing back to win at Penn State, 81-61.
Against Michigan on Feb. 1, Gustafson led all scorers with 27 points on 79 percent shooting from the field (11-for-14). She also made 5-of-6 free throws, pulled down nine rebounds, dished out two assists, and denied four shots.
Here is your weekly reminder that @GustafsonMeg10 is the 🐐.
— Iowa On BTN (@IowaOnBTN) February 5, 2019
The @IowaWBB star has earned her 20th B1G Player of the Week award of her career. 😮
BTN x @PizzaRanch pic.twitter.com/44TBRCiiaw
On Feb 3, Gustafson scored a game-high 30 points, shooting 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) from the field in Iowa's win at Penn State. She registered 11 rebounds to notch her 20th double-double of the season. She also recorded five assists, three blocks, and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Gustafson is currently ranked in the top-six nationally in eight statistical categories. She leads the nation in points per game (26.6), total points (585), and field goals made (245), ranks second in double-doubles (20) and field goal percentage (70.4), third in defensive rebounds per game (10), fourth in rebounds (277), and sixth in rebounding (12.6).
The Hawkeyes, 17-5 overall and 8-3 in the Big Ten, return to action Thursday, hosting Michigan State.
Shakyla Hill, Grambling State
Grambling State senior guard Shakyla Hill made history by becoming the first player in NCAA Division I college basketball history — male or female — to record two career quadruple-doubles, accomplishing the feat in a 77-57 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday.
Hill finished with a game-high 21 points, 16 rebounds, 13 assists and 10 steals in the game. She was 7-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free-throw line in 32 minutes of action.
GRAMBLING STATE: Hill makes NCAA college basketball history
The senior guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, posted her first quadruple-double in a win over Alabama State last season on Jan. 3, 2018. At the time last year, Hill joined Sonja Tate (Arkansas State), Veronica Pettry (Loyola-Chicago) and Jackie Spenser (Louisville) as the only NCAA Division I women's basketball players to register a quadruple-double.
Hill followed those efforts by pacing Grambling State with 20 points, nine rebounds, seven steals and five assists in a 54-52 loss to Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 4.
On the week, Hill averaged 20.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 9.0 assists and 8.5 steals and currently leads the Southwestern Athletic Conference in points (19.2), assists (6.0), steals (4.6) and minutes (35.2) per game while ranking second in rebounds (8.0).
Grambling State, 9-12 overall and 6-3 in the SWAC, next takes to the road on Saturday against rival Southern.
Hill Captures Sixth SWAC Weekly Honor https://t.co/0prpMc2aQT
— GSU Athletics (@GSU_TIGERS) February 5, 2019
