Basketball standouts Russell, Mantovani earn Cuesta athlete-of-the-month honors

Freshman basketball player Autumn Russell was selected as the Cuesta College female athlete of the month for January, according to a school news release Tuesday afternoon.

The former Templeton High standout has been one of the bright spots in a trying season for the Cougars’ basketball team. A 5-foot-11 guard, Russell is averaging a double-double for the season, leading the team in both scoring (10.8) and rebounding (10.9).

She closed out the month of January with a 16-point, 12-rebound performance in a loss at home against Ventura.

Russell has 10 double-digit scoring efforts to her credit, including a stretch of eight consecutive games in mid-December and early January. She also leads Cuesta in blocked shots (14), steals (51) and ranks third with 1.7 assists per contest.

During Cuesta’s 75-72 victory over Santa Barbara last Saturday, Russell scored a career-high 26 points on 8-for-12 shooting, handed out five assists and grabbed four rebounds.

The Cougars (8-17, 3-6 Western State Conference) play two of their final three games on the road, beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday against second-place Oxnard.

Mantovani takes men’s honor

In the midst of a dominant sophomore season, Cuesta College sophomore center Robert Mantovani was chosen as the school’s athlete of the month for January.

A 6-foot-8, 235-pound Cyprus native, Mantovani has been nearly unstoppable against Western State Conference opponents. He led the Cougars (20-8, 7-2 WSC) to an undefeated mark during their first trip through the conference schedule.

Mantovani is averaging 20 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and two blocks in nine conference games. For the year, he’s averaging 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds — the fifth-highest total in the state.

The Cougars, currently tied with Moorpark for first in the conference standings, go on the road to play Oxnard at 5 p.m. Saturday. Cuesta will play its regular season home finale Feb. 17 against Allan Hancock.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 2:57 PM with the headline "Basketball standouts Russell, Mantovani earn Cuesta athlete-of-the-month honors."