DENVER ? Hawai?i’s Tanya Smith has been named the Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 22. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the junior and the first WAC Player of the Week honor for the Rainbow Wahine this season.
Smith, a forward from Sydney, Australia (the Jannali) averaged 18.0 points per game and 11.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 71 percent from the floor as the Rainbow Wahine split a pair of WAC games. The forward helped Hawai?i end a five-game losing streak versus Idaho with 24 points and nine rebounds. She made her first 10 shots of the game, before finishing 11-of-12 from the floor. Smith tallied 12 points and 13 rebounds a loss to first-place Boise State, her third double-double in the last four games.
Other nominees included: Tasha Harris of Boise State averaged 16.0 points per game as the Broncos defeated Hawai?i ... Chantella Perera of Fresno State scored 15 points as the Bulldogs went 1-0 last week ... Traci Graham of Nevada averaged 13.5 points as the Wolf Pack went 2-0 last week ... Hannah Spanich of New Mexico State scored 10 points in the Aggies loss to Nevada ... Myosha Barnes of San Jose State averaged 16.5 points per game with 3.0 rebounds per game in two games ... Jenny Gross of Utah State scored 25 points with 15 rebounds as the Aggies’ split games last week.