2022-23 Women's Basketball Roster
Roster
Smith, Ahlana
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Jersey Number 1
Ahlana Smith
- Position:
- Guard
- Height:
- 5-9
- Class:
- Graduate Student
- High School/Previous School:
- Mallard Creek / Louisville
- Hometown:
- Charlotte, N.C.
Bio
Career Honors
2020 NJCAA Player of the Year
2020 NJCAA First Team All-American
2020 NJCAA Region VIII Player of the Year
2x NJCAA National Player of the Week
Career Highlights
• Advanced to the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament after defeating Illinois in the First Four and Creighton in the First Round
• Helped MSU become the first women's team to play in a First Four game and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Defeated Illinois 70-56 on March 15, 2023, in the First Four.
Career Stats
Smith's career spanned five years with stops at UCLA, Louisville and Mississippi State ... She played in 123 career games, making 37 career starts … She scored 606 career points (4.9 ppg), grabbed 227 rebounds (1.8 rpg), dished out 139 assists (1.1 apg), had 80 steals (0.6 spg) while shooting 40% from the floor, 33% from three and 74% the free throw line … Had two seasons with 100+ points and one season with 100+ rebounds … Career-highs were in her lone season at MSU … Averaged 27.3 minutes per game at MSU and no more than 12 at UCLA and Louisville … In 123 career games, she fouled out just twice, both at MSU … She started the final 32 games of her career, all at MSU.
NCAA Tournament Stats at Mississippi State
• 3 NCAA Tournament games at Mississippi State, all during the 2022-23 season
• Scored 17 points (5.7 ppg) and grabbed 10 rebounds (3.3 rpg) while dishing out 11 assists (3.7 apg), with 3 steals (1.0 spg and most on the team) with two blocked shots (0.7 bpg)
• Shot 18% from the floor (4-for-22), 18% from three (2-for-11) and 88% from the free throw line (7-for-8)
• Tournament Highs: Points: 10 vs Creighton (3/17/23), Rebounds: 5, twice vs Illinois (3/15/23) and Notre Dame (3/19/23), Assists: 5, & Creighton, Steals: 3, vs Illinois.
• Was 7-for-8 from the foul line vs Creighton (88%)
2022-23 (Graduate)
Played and started in 32 of the teams 33 games … Scored 298 points (9.3 ppg), grabbed 115 rebounds (3.6 rpg), dished out 80 assists (2.5 apg), earned 31 steals (0.9 spg) and blocked 7 shots (0.2 bpg) … Smith shot 39% from the floor, 40% from three and 82% from the free throw line … Finished second on the team in FT Percentage and finished third in assists, scoring and 3-point percentage … Smith scored in double figures 14 times including one 20+ point game … Scored a career-high 23 points in MSU's win over Old Dominion in Tampa, Fla. (12/19) … Had a career long streak of five straight games with 10+ points scored from 2/9 through 2/23 … Earned at least five rebounds in 15 games, including five games with seven boards … six games with 3+ made triples … tied a career-high with five made triples vs Old Dominion (12/19) and at Missouri (2/16) … Moved over to the point guard position late in the season, earning at least 1 assist in each of the final 11 games … Had 3+ assists in 15 games, with a career-high six vs New Mexico (12/21) … Made 23 of her final 27 free throws of her career (85%) … Set career-highs in points scored, total rebounds, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, assists and steals.
LOUISVILLE
2021-22 (Senior)
Appeared in all 32 games and averaged 12 minutes per contest … Averaged 4.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists on the year with 13 steals and 10 blocked shots … Shot 77% from the free throw line (10-of-13)
2020-21 (Junior)
Played in 27 games making five starts … Averaged 2.8 points, while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor … Scored six points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field in the Elite 8 vs. Stanford (3/30) … Recorded seven points, three rebounds, and two assists in the first round of the NCAA Tournament vs. Marist … Scored seven points with three steals and two assists in her first Louisville start at SEMO (11/25)
GULF COAST STATE
2019-20 (Sophomore)
NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Year … NJCAA First Team All-American … NJCAA Region VIII Player of the Year … 2x NCJAA Player of the Week (11/4-11/10) … Led Gulf Coast State with 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per game, while also recording 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game … Shot 43.9 percent from the floor … Led Gulf Coast State to a 23-5 record, including an undefeated 11-win mark at home … Finished as the runner-up in the NJCAA South Atlantic District tournament before earning an at-large selection to the national tournament as the No. 5 seed … Posted three 30-point performances and put up double-digit scoring marks in all but one contest … Season-high 39-points in the second game of the season in a 97-89 win at Florida Southwestern
UCLA
2018-19 (Freshman)
Played in 32 games, the most of among freshmen on the team … Averaged 12.6 minutes, 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds … Opened her collegiate career by scoring a season-high 13 points in UCLA’s season opener at Loyola Marymount, shot 6-10 from the floor and added four rebounds … Pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Colorado in UCLA's regular season finale
High School
Ranked as the No. 30 prospect in the class of 2018 by espnW’s HoopGurlz and the No. 34 prospect by Prospects Nation … Prepped at Mallard Creek High School Charlotte, N.C. for her junior and senior seasons … Earned First Team All-MECKA honors and was named the State Tournament MVP as a junior … 2016 4A State Champion … 2017 4A State Runner-up … First two high school seasons were played at Zebulon B. Vance High School averaging 21.7 points as a sophomore and 19.4 points as a freshman … Earned all-league honors as a sophomore
Personal
Born on November 17, 2000 … Daughter of Rosa Morales and David Smith … Has one sister, Kiana … Earned her bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration from Louisville in 2022
Career Highs
Points: 23, vs Old Dominion (12/19/22)
Rebounds: 7, 2x last vs Texas A&M (2/12/23)
Field Goals Made: 9, vs Old Dominion (12/19/22)
Field Goals Attempted: 14, vs Tennessee (2/6/23)
3-Point Field Goals Made: 5, at Missouri (2/16/23)
3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 10, at Missouri (2/16/23)
Free Throws Made: 7, vs Creighton (3/17/23)
Free Throws Attempted: 8, vs Creighton (3/17/23)
Assists: 6, vs New Mexico (12/21/22)
Steals: 5, vs North Alabama (11/11/22)
Blocks: 2, 2x last at NC State (1/20/22) ^
Minutes: 39, vs Ole Miss (1/1/23)
^ Denotes career-high set at Louisville
*Ahlana Smith used her additional Covid year during the 2022-23 season that was granted to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season
2020 NJCAA Player of the Year
2020 NJCAA First Team All-American
2020 NJCAA Region VIII Player of the Year
2x NJCAA National Player of the Week
Career Highlights
• Advanced to the Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament after defeating Illinois in the First Four and Creighton in the First Round
• Helped MSU become the first women's team to play in a First Four game and advance to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Defeated Illinois 70-56 on March 15, 2023, in the First Four.
Career Stats
Smith's career spanned five years with stops at UCLA, Louisville and Mississippi State ... She played in 123 career games, making 37 career starts … She scored 606 career points (4.9 ppg), grabbed 227 rebounds (1.8 rpg), dished out 139 assists (1.1 apg), had 80 steals (0.6 spg) while shooting 40% from the floor, 33% from three and 74% the free throw line … Had two seasons with 100+ points and one season with 100+ rebounds … Career-highs were in her lone season at MSU … Averaged 27.3 minutes per game at MSU and no more than 12 at UCLA and Louisville … In 123 career games, she fouled out just twice, both at MSU … She started the final 32 games of her career, all at MSU.
NCAA Tournament Stats at Mississippi State
• 3 NCAA Tournament games at Mississippi State, all during the 2022-23 season
• Scored 17 points (5.7 ppg) and grabbed 10 rebounds (3.3 rpg) while dishing out 11 assists (3.7 apg), with 3 steals (1.0 spg and most on the team) with two blocked shots (0.7 bpg)
• Shot 18% from the floor (4-for-22), 18% from three (2-for-11) and 88% from the free throw line (7-for-8)
• Tournament Highs: Points: 10 vs Creighton (3/17/23), Rebounds: 5, twice vs Illinois (3/15/23) and Notre Dame (3/19/23), Assists: 5, & Creighton, Steals: 3, vs Illinois.
• Was 7-for-8 from the foul line vs Creighton (88%)
2022-23 (Graduate)
Played and started in 32 of the teams 33 games … Scored 298 points (9.3 ppg), grabbed 115 rebounds (3.6 rpg), dished out 80 assists (2.5 apg), earned 31 steals (0.9 spg) and blocked 7 shots (0.2 bpg) … Smith shot 39% from the floor, 40% from three and 82% from the free throw line … Finished second on the team in FT Percentage and finished third in assists, scoring and 3-point percentage … Smith scored in double figures 14 times including one 20+ point game … Scored a career-high 23 points in MSU's win over Old Dominion in Tampa, Fla. (12/19) … Had a career long streak of five straight games with 10+ points scored from 2/9 through 2/23 … Earned at least five rebounds in 15 games, including five games with seven boards … six games with 3+ made triples … tied a career-high with five made triples vs Old Dominion (12/19) and at Missouri (2/16) … Moved over to the point guard position late in the season, earning at least 1 assist in each of the final 11 games … Had 3+ assists in 15 games, with a career-high six vs New Mexico (12/21) … Made 23 of her final 27 free throws of her career (85%) … Set career-highs in points scored, total rebounds, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, assists and steals.
LOUISVILLE
2021-22 (Senior)
Appeared in all 32 games and averaged 12 minutes per contest … Averaged 4.3 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists on the year with 13 steals and 10 blocked shots … Shot 77% from the free throw line (10-of-13)
2020-21 (Junior)
Played in 27 games making five starts … Averaged 2.8 points, while shooting 45.6 percent from the floor … Scored six points on a perfect 3-3 shooting from the field in the Elite 8 vs. Stanford (3/30) … Recorded seven points, three rebounds, and two assists in the first round of the NCAA Tournament vs. Marist … Scored seven points with three steals and two assists in her first Louisville start at SEMO (11/25)
GULF COAST STATE
2019-20 (Sophomore)
NJCAA Division I Women's Basketball Player of the Year … NJCAA First Team All-American … NJCAA Region VIII Player of the Year … 2x NCJAA Player of the Week (11/4-11/10) … Led Gulf Coast State with 20.3 points and 2.7 steals per game, while also recording 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game … Shot 43.9 percent from the floor … Led Gulf Coast State to a 23-5 record, including an undefeated 11-win mark at home … Finished as the runner-up in the NJCAA South Atlantic District tournament before earning an at-large selection to the national tournament as the No. 5 seed … Posted three 30-point performances and put up double-digit scoring marks in all but one contest … Season-high 39-points in the second game of the season in a 97-89 win at Florida Southwestern
UCLA
2018-19 (Freshman)
Played in 32 games, the most of among freshmen on the team … Averaged 12.6 minutes, 3.0 points and 1.9 rebounds … Opened her collegiate career by scoring a season-high 13 points in UCLA’s season opener at Loyola Marymount, shot 6-10 from the floor and added four rebounds … Pulled down a career-high seven rebounds against Colorado in UCLA's regular season finale
High School
Ranked as the No. 30 prospect in the class of 2018 by espnW’s HoopGurlz and the No. 34 prospect by Prospects Nation … Prepped at Mallard Creek High School Charlotte, N.C. for her junior and senior seasons … Earned First Team All-MECKA honors and was named the State Tournament MVP as a junior … 2016 4A State Champion … 2017 4A State Runner-up … First two high school seasons were played at Zebulon B. Vance High School averaging 21.7 points as a sophomore and 19.4 points as a freshman … Earned all-league honors as a sophomore
Personal
Born on November 17, 2000 … Daughter of Rosa Morales and David Smith … Has one sister, Kiana … Earned her bachelor’s degree in Sports Administration from Louisville in 2022
Career Highs
Points: 23, vs Old Dominion (12/19/22)
Rebounds: 7, 2x last vs Texas A&M (2/12/23)
Field Goals Made: 9, vs Old Dominion (12/19/22)
Field Goals Attempted: 14, vs Tennessee (2/6/23)
3-Point Field Goals Made: 5, at Missouri (2/16/23)
3-Point Field Goals Attempted: 10, at Missouri (2/16/23)
Free Throws Made: 7, vs Creighton (3/17/23)
Free Throws Attempted: 8, vs Creighton (3/17/23)
Assists: 6, vs New Mexico (12/21/22)
Steals: 5, vs North Alabama (11/11/22)
Blocks: 2, 2x last at NC State (1/20/22) ^
Minutes: 39, vs Ole Miss (1/1/23)
^ Denotes career-high set at Louisville
*Ahlana Smith used her additional Covid year during the 2022-23 season that was granted to student-athletes who competed during the 2020-21 season
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | Sam Purcell Media Session - 6/17/25
Tuesday, June 17
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | Second Round Post Game Press Conference vs. USC 03/24/25
Tuesday, March 25
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | Second Round Preview Press Conference vs. USC 03/23/25
Sunday, March 23
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL | NCAA TOURNAMENT | First Round Post Game Press Conference vs. California 3/22/25
Saturday, March 22
