AP women’s basketball player of the week is No. 9 Iowa’s Ava Heiden

AP women's basketball player of the week is No. 9 Iowa's Ava Heiden | iNFOnews.ca
Mississippi forward Christeen Iwuala, right, looks to shoot against South Carolina center Madina Okot during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Columbia, S.C., Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

The Associated Press national player of the week in women’s basketball for Week 16 of the season:

Ava Heiden, Iowa

The sophomore center led No. 9 Iowa to wins over Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan last week, recording a double-double in each of the games. She had 24 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in a win over then-No. 6 Michigan. She shot 75% from the field in the three games while averaging 24 points and 11.3 rebounds.

Runner-up

Madina Okot, No. 3 South Carolina. The senior center averaged 16.5 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks while helping the Gamecocks to a pair of Top 25 wins over Alabama and Ole Miss. She also hit five 3-pointers, hitting all of her attempts from behind the arc. In the win over Alabama, Okot had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes.

Honorable mention

Hannah Hidalgo, Notre Dame; Olivia Miles, No. 11 TCU; Sarah Strong, No. 1 UConn.

Keep an eye on

Rice redshirt junior guard Hailey Adams averaged 12 points, 16 rebounds and 2.5 blocks while shooting 60% from the field to help the Owls beat East Carolina and South Florida last week. The Owls have won 19 straight games and are one victory away from the top seed in the American Conference.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

AP women's basketball player of the week is No. 9 Iowa's Ava Heiden | iNFOnews.ca
Iowa center Ava Heiden (5) drives against UCLA center Lauren Betts (51) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jessie Alcheh)

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