Women's basketball trio receives all-conference honors

ORANGE, Calif. – In its first full year as a member of the SCIAC, the Chapman University women's basketball team had three players earn All-SCIAC recognition. The Panthers' 21-6 season netted them two of the top three SCIAC honors while their three recognitions were tied for the most in the conference.

Kimi Takaoka – First Team All-SCIAC

Junior G Kimi Takaoka led the Panthers with 17.7 points per game. She was exceptional in SCIAC play, averaging 18.1 points per game including a 32-point performance in the Panthers' conference championship loss to Cal Lutheran. In a successful season for the Panthers, Takaoka was the most highly decorated athlete as she earned SCIAC Female Athlete of the Week honors to open the season and was named to the Capital One Academic All-District and All-America teams.  

Sandra Gao – SCIAC Newcomer of the Year

Freshman F Sandra Gao was the head of her class, averaging 14.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in her rookie season. Like Takaoka, Gao was at her best in SCIAC competition, averaging 16.5 points per conference game. The freshman was the only underclassman to finish in the top 10 amongst her SCIAC peers in points per game, rebounds and field goal percentage.

Anne Yoshimura – Ed Baldwin Memorial Award Recipient

Rounding out the conference honors is senior G Anne Yoshimura, a fierce competitor who stood out amongst her peers as an impactful leader. The captain of the Chapman offense received the Ed Baldwin Award, which is given each year to a SCIAC senior based upon the contributions to her team and exemplary levels of sportsmanship displayed throughout her career as a SCIAC student-athlete.

The Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was established in 1915. The league is currently comprised of nine private colleges and universities in Southern California: California Institute of Technology, California Lutheran University, Chapman University, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges, University of La Verne, Occidental College, Pomona-Pitzer Colleges, University of Redlands, and Whittier College. The conference recognizes outstanding athletic achievements of its student-athletes on a weekly and annual basis.

2012-13 All-SCIAC Women's Basketball Team: http://thesciac.org/sports/wbkb/2012-13/releases/201303018g5067

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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