University of Minnesota Athletics
Pitts Headlines Gophers' B1G Season Honors
2/26/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Big Ten Women's Basketball Honors
MINNEAPOLIS - Destiny Pitts was named the consensus Big Ten Freshman of the Year, while senior Carlie Wagner and junior Kenisha Bell were each named to the All-Big Ten First Team as the conference unveiled their season-ending awards Monday afternoon.
Pitts is the fourth player in Minnesota history to be named Freshman of the Year by the league, joining Amanda Zahui B. (2013-14), Rachel Banham (2011-12) and Janel McCarville (2001-02). Pitts was also placed on the All-Big Ten Freshman Team and earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition by the league's coaches, while the media selected her for the All-Big Ten Second Team.
A native of Detroit, Mich., Pitts leads the Gophers with 7.4 rebounds per game and is fourth with 13.1 points per contest. She ranks fourth in the league in both 3-pointers made (76) and 3-pointers made per game (2.62) and is fifth in 3-pointers attempted (207) and 10th in 3-point percentage (36.7).
She tied a school record by being named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week seven times this season, one of just five players in league history to reach that number, and was the USBWA National Freshman of the Week on Feb. 13.
Bell was named to the All-Big Ten First Team by the league's coaches and was a unanimous selection by the media. It's the first time she's received First Team honors after taking home honorable mention recognition a year ago. She was also placed on the coaches' All-Big Ten Defensive Team, the third Gopher to receive the honor along with Zahui B. (2013-14 and 2014-15) and Shannon Bolden (2005-06).
A two-time Big Ten Player of the Week, Bell leads the Gophers with 19.6 points per game and is also averaging 6.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 2.8 steals per contest. She leads the conference in steals (80), steals per game, assists (192), assists per game and free throw attempts (210) and is sixth in scoring. Nationally, she's 11th in assists and free throw attempts, 13th in free throws made (152) and 14th in assists per game.
Bell has four 30-point games this year, including a career-high 35 points at Iowa on Feb. 4. She's tied with Pitts for the team lead with six double-doubles on the season.
Like Bell, Wagner was also named an All-Big First Team honoree for the first time in her career. In each of the last two seasons she was named to the Second Team by the media and coaches. She also was picked as the school's Sportsmanship Award representative.
Wagner is second on the team with 18.3 points per game and is also averaging 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game. She's shooting 40.8 percent from 3-point range, making 86-of-211 attempts from beyond the arc.
The New Richland, Minn., native is third in the Big Ten in 3-pointers made and 3-pointers made per game (3.0), fourth in 3-pointers attempted and 3-point percentage and seventh in scoring. Wagner leads Minnesota with 27 games in double figures and has a pair of 30-point games this year, including a season-high 34 against Indiana on Feb. 20.
As the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, the Gophers will open play on Friday at approximately 1:30 p.m. They will face the winner of No. 5 Iowa's matchup against either No. 13 Wisconsin or No. 12 Northwestern.
