GSAC RELEASE
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – The regular season champion Vanguard women's basketball team collected more hardware on Wednesday as the Golden State Athletic Conference coaches tabbed Melissa Akullu as Player of the Year and Russ Davis as Coach of the Year. In addition, Halle Si'i joined Akullu on the 10-player all-conference team.
Akullu is the third individual in program history to repeat as GSAC Player of the Year, following in the footsteps of Kelly Schmidt (2004-06) and Jessica Richter (2006-08). She also becomes just the fifth player at VU to capture All-GSAC honors three times in a career.
The native of Kampala, Uganda dominated in every facet, leading the conference in scoring (24.4 ppg), rebounding (13.7 RPG), field goal percentage (.624) and steals (3.3 spg). Nationally, she ranks sixth in scoring, third in rebounding, eighth in field goal percentage and fifth in steals.
She finished the regular season with 19 double-doubles, including a stretch of 14 straight games. Facing consistent double teams, Akullu scored 20 or more points 17 times and surpassed the 30-point mark on seven occasions. She flashed her scoring ability on January 15 at Bethesda with a career-high 41 points to go along with 14 rebounds and eight steals.
Akullu made 10 or more field goals in 13 contests, including a 13-of-23 effort in a 65-64 win over The Master's. She finished that game with 30 points, 17 boards and four steals, and blocked TMU's game-winning attempt with time winding down to secure the victory.
The three-time All-GSAC performer landed on the VU single-season list in several categories, including 11th in points (562), first in scoring average, eighth in field goals made (232), first in field goal percentage, fifth in total rebounds (315), first in rebounds per game, 10th in steals (75) and tied for fourth in steals per game (3.3).
She also captured two NAIA National Player of the Week awards and three GSAC Player of the Week accolades this season.
Si'i, a sophomore point guard, received All-GSAC acclaim for the second straight season to build upon her GSAC Freshman of the Year campaign in 2022-23.
She ranked second on the squad in scoring (14.4 ppg), points (316), field goals made (106) and free throws made (83), and third in total rebounds (100), rebounds per game (4.5), steals (40) and steals per game (1.8). Si'i led the team with 111 assists and 5.0 assists per game – both totals that ranked her second in the GSAC.
On the GSAC leaderboard, Si'i also ranked ninth in scoring, seventh in free throw percentage (.709) and 11th in steals per game.
The Long Beach native had 17 double-digit scoring games, including a career-high 34 points in a thrilling 81-73 overtime win over Hope International. Si'i splashed a 30-footer at the buzzer to send the game into an extra period, scoring 22 of her 34 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Si'i also had a 33-point effort in a win over Bryan (Tenn.) in November. In terms of distributing the ball, Si'i handed out a season-high 13 assists against Health Sciences & Pharmacy and 10 versus OUAZ. She totaled five or more assists in 11 contests.
Davis added more laurels to his Hall of Fame career with his 11th selection as GSAC Coach of the Year. It also marked the fourth time in his distinguished 28-year stint at VU that he earned highest distinction in back-to-back seasons (2002-04, 2008-10, 2013-15, 2022-24).
He guided the Lions to a 19-4 regular season mark and the GSAC regular season title with a 12-2 record. It was the 13th regular season championship under Davis, and the first since the 2016-17 campaign.
Davis now holds a career record of 675-183, needing one more win to hit the 20-win plateau for the 22nd time in 28 seasons. His .787 career winning percentage is tops among active NAIA coaches.
Vanguard won the GSAC after finishing the schedule on a six-game win streak, including two huge road victories late in the slate against Menlo and Jessup. The Lions overtook the Oaks for first place that weekend, and never let go from that point on.
The Lions allowed a GSAC opponent to score 70 points just twice, and held seven teams to 60 or less.
VU is ranked No. 8 in the country and enters this week's GSAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed.
