Three Big 12 Players on Naismith Midseason Women’s Watch List
Ashley Joens, Ayoka Lee and NaLyssa Smith are the three Big 12 players on the 2022 Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Midseason Watch List released on Tuesday.
Joens and the No. 9 Cyclones are off until Saturday, but she is third in the Big 12 in points per game at 19.4 and has scored 20 or more points in nine games this season. She is 44 away from becoming ISU’s all-time leading scorer. She also averages 9.1 rebounds per game and is 40 rebounds away from becoming the fourth player in Iowa State history to reach 1,000 career rebounds.
Lee leads the Big 12 and ranks third in the nation in scoring average with 24.7 points and is second in the nation in total points with 569. She also leads the Big 12 in field goal percentage (.582), blocks (3.2), 30-point games (8) and 20-point games (13). Lee scored a NCAA Division I record 61 points in a win over Oklahoma earlier this season.
Smith leads the Big 12 and is fifth in the country with 15 double-doubles. She averages a double-double — 20.8 points and 11.4 rebounds per game. She’s just one of three players nationally to average 20 points, 10 rebounds and one assist per game. Smith is 10th all-time at Baylor with 1,734 career points and needs 55 rebounds to reach 1,000 for her career.
The winner of the award will be announced on April 2.
2022 Naismith Women’s Player of the Year Midseason Watch List
(Big 12 Players in Bold)
Aliyah Boston, South Carolina
Aneesah Morrow, DePaul
Angel Reese, Maryland
Ashley Joens, Iowa State
Ashley Owusu, Maryland
Ayoka Lee, Kansas State
Caitlin Clark, Iowa
Cameron Brink, Stanford
Cate Reese, Arizona
Charisma Osborne, UCLA
Christyn Williams, UConn
Destanni Henderson, South Carolina
Elissa Cunane, NC State
Elizabeth Kitley, Virginia Tech
Emily Engstler, Louisville
Haley Jones, Stanford
Jenna Staiti, Georgia
Jordan Horston, Tennessee
Khayla Pointer, LSU
Kierstan Bell, Florida Gulf Coast
Lorela Cubaj, Georgia Tech
Mackenzie Holmes, Indiana
NaLyssa Smith, Baylor
Naz Hillmon, Michigan
Nia Clouden, Michigan State
Olivia Miles, Notre Dame
Rhyne Howard, Kentucky
Shakira Austin, Ole Miss
Shaylee Gonzales, BYU
Veronica Burton, Northwestern
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
