March 24, 2008

NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State junior guard Kristi Cirone was named a national finalist for the Division I State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I, as selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), Monday, March 24. Cirone is among a group of 40 of the best players in the nation that the 10-member team will be selected from. The State Farm Coaches' All-America Basketball Team for NCAA Division I will be announced at the State Farm Coaches' All-America Team Press Conference at the Tampa Hyatt Regency on April 5, as a part of the Women's Final Four weekend.

Last week, Cirone was named a regional finalist for the all-America squad. There were 52 players selected from eight regions across the country. That list was taken down to 40 players on Monday and from those 40, the 10-player State Farm Coaches' All-America Team will be chosen.

Illinois State has had only two other players receive all-America honors in women's basketball. Charlotte Lewis was a Street & Smith's All-American in 1975) and a Kodak All-American (the former sponsor of the WBCA All-America Team) in 1977. Cathy Boswell was a two-time WBCA All-American, earning the honor in 1982 and 1983.

Cirone ended the 2007-08 season with a game-high 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in ISU's 69-61 loss to Oklahoma in the NCAA Tournament. In her first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Cirone poured in the third-most points in a single-game in school history. She finished the year ranked fifth in ISU single-season history in points (552), third in three-point field goals (64), tied for seventh in free throws (104), seventh in assists (172) and eighth in steals (80). She also became ISU's all-time lead in free throws made (371).

Cirone was the Jackie Stiles Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year for the second-consecutive season, becoming just the fourth player in the history of the conference to achieve that feat, after leading the Valley in assists (5.6 apg) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.04), and finishing second in scoring (16.3 ppg) and steals (2.6 spg). She was also a First-Team All-Valley, First-Team All-MVC Scholar-Athlete and All-Valley Defensive Team selection.

During the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament, Cirone earned MVP honors after averaging 18.7 ppg to lead the Redbirds to the championship. She tied her season-high with 27 points against Southern Illinois in the quarterfinals and scored 20 points in the championship game against Drake.