Elissa Cunane Selected as One of Five Finalists for Lisa Leslie Award
3/11/2022 1:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – For the third time in her NC State career, Wolfpack women's basketball senior Elissa Cunane has been announced as one of five finalists for the 2022 Lisa Leslie Award, an annual honor that recognizes the top center in women's NCAA Division I college basketball.
Cunane was among the five finalists for the award in both 2020 and 2021 after emerging as one of the best players in the nation. She is also in consideration for multiple other national honors this season, including being a semifinalist for Naismith Player of the Year and on the John R. Wooden Award National Ballot of finalists.
This month, the finalists will be presented to Ms. Leslie and the Hall of Fame's selection committee. The winner of the 2022 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award will be determined by a combination of fan votes and input from the Basketball Hall of Fame's selection committee. Wolfpack fans are encouraged to participate in this year's Fan Voting, which goes live today and runs until Thursday, March 24.
A consensus First Team All-ACC honoree for the third season in a row, Cunane leads the 2021-22 NC State team in scoring (13.8) and rebounding (7.7) while shooting 52.6 percent from the field. She is the only center in the country who is shooting 50+ percent overall, 40+ percent (.448) from three-point range and 80+ percent (.828) from the free throw line.
Cunane was most recently named ACC Tournament MVP for the second season in a row after helping lead NC State to its third-straight title at the event. She is the only player in program history to earn the honors twice in her career.
This season, Cunane has scored 10+ points in a team-leading 25 outings, highlighted by five 20+ point games. Her 23-point performance at Duke marked her highest scoring output of the season, and she has also posted eight double-doubles on the year.
On her career, Cunane averages 14.9 points (currently good for ninth in NC State history) and 7.9 rebounds, and she has shot above 52 percent from the field every season for a career average of 53.9 percent.
The winner of this season's Lisa Leslie Award will be presented later this spring alongside the other four members of the Women's Starting Five. For more information on the award and to vote beginning today, visit HoopHallAwards.com.
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