IRVING, Texas — BYU’s Lauren Gustin (player) and Amari Whiting (freshman) swept the Big 12 women’s basketball weekly awards, following a 2-0 week in which the Cougars knocked off No. 18 Baylor for their first AP Top-25 win of the season, the Big 12 Conference announced Monday.
Gustin and Whiting sweep Big 12 Player and Freshman of the Week Honors
BYU’s Lauren Gustin (player) and Amari Whiting (freshman) swept the Big 12 women’s basketball weekly awards, following a 2-0 week in which the Cougars knocked off No. 18 Baylor for their first AP Top-25 win of the season, the Big 12 Conference announced Monday.
Whiting and Gustin were instrumental in taking down the 18th-ranked Bears 78-66 in Provo for BYU’s first AP Top-25 win under head coach Amber Whiting before earning the Cougars’ first Big 12 road win on Saturday, downing the Cincinnati Bearcats 69-57.
Gustin led BYU in scoring in both games this week, scoring 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting while recording her 22nd double-double of the season with 16 rebounds, four on the offensive glass and an assist in the win. In Saturday’s matinee against Cincinnati, the Boise, Idaho native was again efficient from the field, going 10-for-16 from the floor for 21 points, 20 rebounds, two blocks and an assist in the Cougars’ first Big 12 road victory.
“I’m really proud of Lauren for how she played this week,” said head coach Amber Whiting. “She is a rock for our team and you always know that you’ll get her best effort. She holds herself to an incredibly high standard and it’s fun to see her elevate her game.”
The senior leads the country in four statistical categories including rebounds per game at 15.4 per contest, double-doubles with 23 in 25 games, total rebounds with 384 on the year and defensive rebounds per game at 10.4. Her 10.4 defensive rebounds per game alone would rank in the top 20 of total rebounds per game. Gustin also ranks third in offensive rebounds at 5.0 per game.
Whiting earned her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors after averaging 12 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in BYU’s first back-to-back Big 12 wins. The freshman from Burley, Idaho flirted with the first triple-double in BYU women’s basketball history in Wednesday’s upset over No. 18 Baylor as she scored 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting, going 2-for-3 from downtown while dishing out nine assists and grabbing eight boards.
Baylor head coach Nicki Collen said of Whiting’s performance, “Whiting really got them going early. She hit a couple of threes, got them in transition, I mean geez, she almost had a triple-double tonight but I thought she was the catalyst for them.”
In the win over the Bearcats, the freshman again played a crucial role, scoring 10 points on 4-of-10 from the field with seven rebounds, two assists and a block.
“Amari has had to step into a major role for our team this season and has grown exponentially in her first year of college basketball,” Whiting said. “The way she played this week on both ends of the court was key to our success and I’m really proud of her.”