There’s dominance and then there’s Paige Mintun.
The junior out of Valley Center, Calif. was rewarded for her stellar performance when she was named to the All-Big West Conference first team for the second consecutive year.
“People might not know how difficult it is to win that award once, let alone twice in two years,” said coach Sandy Simpson.
Mintun, who missed four games due to injury, led the Aggies in nearly every relevant statistical category including points (13.0) and rebounds per game (4.6) as well as total blocks (35).
“We expected Paige to be great offensively,” Simpson said. “What really impressed us were the improvements she made defensively. Between her and [guard Haylee Donaghe], teams had a really hard time running their offense.”
In addition to being one of the best players on the team, Mintun was statistically one of the best in the conference.
She ranked in the top-10 with a .464 field goal percentage and a .372 three-point percentage as well as in points and blocks per game.
The best part of Mintun’s season was that she delivered when the pressure was on.
In the final regular season game of the year – with the No. 1 seed in the Big West Tournament on the line – she came through with her first double-double of the season as she logged 21 points and 10 boards.
Her clutch performance didn’t stop there as, in UC Davis’ three postseason games, Mintun upped her scoring average by more than four points.
“Having Paige allows us to do so many different things,” Simpson said. “When she’s not in there, it takes two or three people to replace what she gives us.”
The California Aggie would like to add one more piece of hardware to Mintun’s trophy case, naming her Female Athlete of the Quarter.
MARK LING can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
