Some four hours before the All-Big Ten Conference teams were set to be announced, University of Wisconsin women's basketball coach Lisa Stone laid out the case for why senior guard Jolene Anderson should be league player of the year.

"Well I think Jolene, statistically, is the best in the league," Stone said during her Monday afternoon news conference at the Kohl Center. "You look at her rebounds. ... Every category she surfaces (among the leaders). As two-time scoring leader, back-to-back, I certainly think that absolutely, in my opinion, she's player of the year."

Media members who cover the conference felt the same way.

Anderson became the first Badgers player to be tabbed as Big Ten Player of the Year Monday night when she was picked for the honor by a 22-member media panel.

The league's coaches chose Ohio State center Jantel Lavender, who became the first freshman to win the award.

Anderson was a consensus first-team, all-conference pick and a unanimous selection by the media.

Anderson, the consensus preseason player of the year pick, led the Big Ten in scoring (19.6 points per game) for the second straight season and tied for fourth in rebounding (7.6). She tied for sixth in assists (3.7), fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5) and was second in minutes per game (37.6).

Last season, Anderson became the first UW player to lead the Big Ten in scoring on her way to being a consensus first-team, all-conference selection.

This time, the Badgers' all-time leading scorer was joined on the media 's first team by Lavender, Illinois sophomore center Jenna Smith, Michigan State sophomore center Allyssa DeHaan and Minnesota junior guard Emily Fox. Iowa junior guard Kristi Smith replaced DeHaan on the coaches' first team.

UW senior guard Janese Banks was a third-team choice by the media and honorable mention pick by the coaches after averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during conference play.

Freshman forward Lin Zastrow, a former Jefferson athlete and the Badgers' third-leading scorer in conference play (7.4 ppg), was named to the coaches' all-freshman team.

Lavender was a unanimous choice on both sides for Freshman of the Year, while Iowa's Lisa Bluder was the consensus pick for Coach of the Year after leading the Hawkeyes to a share of the conference title.

Sophomore forward Brittany Heins was UW's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree for the second straight season.