It’s safe to say that Michelle Nwokedi had an enjoyable first week of January.
The 6-foot-3 junior forward led the Penn women’s basketball team to two wins, one in California against UC Riverside and the other to open Ivy play at Princeton.
As a reward for her efforts in those victories, Nwokedi was named co-Ivy League Player of the Week.
Against UC Riverside, Nwokedi contributed eight points, four rebounds, and four assists in limited action as the Quakers (7-4, 1-0) cruised to a 71-55 victory. The Red and Blue opened up a 23-16 lead after one quarter of action, and Nwokedi’s timely assists helped them to never look back.
In a much more tightly-contested and meaningful matchup with Princeton, the junior elevated her game even further with 13 points, 13 rebounds, and four crucial blocks in a come-from-behind 62-57 win. Nwokedi’s sixth double-double of the season helped the Quakers to beat their arch rivals for a third consecutive time and to once again assert their Ivy League dominance.
The junior’s prowess on the glass and in the paint has allowed her to average a double-double for the entire season with 15.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, proving that this weekend’s performance was more the rule than the exception.
Nwokedi is no stranger to accolades, as this most recent Ivy League Player of the Week award is the fourth she has earned over the course of her career. Additionally, she was a first team All-Ivy selection for the 2015-2016 season after being named the Ivy League Rookie of the Year for the 2014-2015 season.
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