Elissa Cunane Spectacular Magazine Lawrence Davis III
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NC State’s Cunane Named to Wooden Award Watch List

Lawrence Davis III @LawDavis13 @SpecMagSports

LOS ANGELES, C.A. – Wolfpack sophomore Elissa Cunane has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List, as announced by the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

Chosen by a poll of national college basketball experts based on their performances during the first half of the 2019-20 season, the list is made up of 25 student-athletes who are front-runners for the sport’s most prestigious honor that recognizes the Player of the Year.

Cunane is one of four players to make her debut on the watch list after not being included in the Preseason Top 30, and she joins Dana Evans (Louisville), Kiah Gillespie (Florida State) and Beatrice Mompremier (Miami) as the four ACC players included in the Midseason Top 25.

The NC State center averages a double-double with 17.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season. A two-time ACC Player of the Week, Cunane was also named the Citizen Naismith Trophy Player of the Week on Jan. 7 and began the season as one of 20 Watch List members for the 2020 Lisa Leslie Award, which honors the top center in women’s college basketball.

She currently stands among the best in the nation in multiple statistical categories. Cunane ranks eighth nationally in field-goal percentage (.650), 11th in double-doubles (8) and 19th in rebounds per game. Her field-goal percentage paces the ACC this season, and she also ranks second in the league in rebounding.

Cunane put together a streak of four-straight double-double performances from Nov. 30 (vs. Hawaii) through Dec. 15 (vs. Elon), and she has scored 20+ points in five of the Pack’s last eight outings. The Summerfield, N.C., native has hit a career-high mark of 28 points twice this season and has tallied double figures in all but two games.

The Los Angeles Athletics Club will release a late-season list for the Wooden Award before the final National Ballot of 15 players will be sent to nearly 1,000 voters. The winner of the 2020 John R. Wooden Award will be presented during the ESPN College Basketball Awards on Friday, April 10.