Alissa Pili Earns Pac-12 Player Of The Week For Utah Women’s Basketball
Feb 6, 2023, 3:56 PM
Utah Utes forward Alissa Pili (35) drives the ball during an NCAA women’s basketball game at the Huntsman Center in Sandy on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023. (Photo Cred: Ryan Sun, Deseret News)
(Photo Cred: Ryan Sun, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – There are few names across any college sport right now that are as hot as Alissa Pili’s. The talented forward was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for Utah women’s basketball this week after making several postseason award lists last week.
This is the first time since the 2018-19 season that the women’s basketball team has had two players named Pac-12 Player of the Week in a single season.
Pili has been a revelation to a team already on the rise, adding an aggressive style of play that seems to have trickled down to the rest of the Utes. Pili earned the Pac-12 nod for the week after averaging 26.5 points per game in Utah’s Oregon road trip last weekend.
Ladies and Gentlemen…
Your PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK; @alissa_pili 💎Alissa currently leads the conference in scoring (20.9) and field-goal percentage (60.7) 👏#GoUtes pic.twitter.com/3xFU92zqfy
— Utah Women’s Basketball (@UTAHWBB) February 6, 2023
Examining What Pili Brings To The Court For The Utes
The former Trojan has hit the ground running for Utah women’s basketball and is currently first in the Pac-12 in points per game averaging 20.9 and field goal percentage shooting at 60.7%. Those stats are good enough to put Pili 15th and 11th in the entire country, respectively.
Partially due to Pili’s sharp-shooting, Utah women’s basketball ranks No. 4 in the country in scoring.
The rise of the @UTAHWBB program as a Top 10 team in the country is a great story. They are 20-2, 10-2 in Pac-12 play which has them tied for 1st with Stanford. They are 4th in the nation in scoring. Primed for a deep NCAA Tournament run. https://t.co/uV3JVsQcZA
— Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) February 6, 2023
Last weekend, Pili was particularly great against Oregon State and Oregon, helping the Utes to sweep the schools on the road for the first time in program history.
Pili’s efforts against the Ducks were particularly impressive racking up 30 points while going 12-18 from the field and 3-4 from the three.
Utah is currently tied with Stanford for first in the Pac-12 and are ranked No. 7 nationally.
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram: @BodkinKSLsports
