Elissa Cunane Named to Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 List
2/1/2021 4:31:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Junior center featured on the late season list for second season in a row
LOS ANGELES – NC State women's basketball junior Elissa Cunane has been featured on the John R. Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List for the second season in a row, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club on Monday afternoon.
Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the 2020-21 season, the list is made up of student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport's most prestigious honor that recognizes the Player of the Year.
Last year, the Wolfpack center was one of the 15 players selected for the Wooden Award National Ballot at the conclusion of the season. She and Dana Evans (Louisville) are the two ACC players included in this year's Late Season Top 20.
Cunane averages a team-leading 16.2 points, 58.2 percent (57-of-98) from the floor, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. She plays a vital role as the center of the Pack's four-out, one-in system and has helped lead NC State to an 11-1 record in the midst of the 2020-21 campaign. Her efficiency has ramped up in conference play where she averages 18.6 points, 63.5 percent (33-of-52) from the field and 8.8 rebounds in the Pack's 6-1 start to league action.
The Summerfield, N.C., native ranks in the top five in the conference in scoring and field-goal percentage and top 10 in the league in rebounding and blocked shots. Her 58.2 percent clip from the floor is also 15th nationally.
Cunane put together a streak of three-straight double-double performances from Dec. 9 (Elon) to Dec. 17 (Wake Forest), and she has scored 20+ points in three outings and double figures in all but one game. In her most recent outing, she posted a season-high 24 points against Boston College on Jan. 3, with her 9-of-9 mark from the field ranking as the best single-game shooting performance by a Wolfpack player in Reynolds Coliseum.
Cunane was a Third Team All-American in 2019-20, as named by the Associated Press and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. She is also currently on watch lists for the 2021 Jersey Mike's Naismith Trophy, the 2021 Wade Trophy and the 2021 Lisa Leslie Award that honors the best center in college women's basketball.
A final National Ballot of 15 players will be released to nearly 1,000 voters prior to the start of the NCAA Tournament, and the Wooden Award All-American Team will be announced during the week of the Elite Eight. The winner of the 2021 John R. Wooden Award will be presented by Wendy's following the NCAA Tournament in April.
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