SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis senior Lauren Craig has committed to play basketball at Pepperdine University next fall on a full scholarship.

“I am so excited,” said Craig. “It is a dream come true. I love the school and the program. It is great.”

Craig, who was a Sacramento Bee All-Metro first team selection, was the Delta League Player of the Year. She eclipsed the 1,000-point and 1,000-rebound marks for her career, leading a group of five seniors who led the postseason run. She also was named to the NorCalPreps.com All-Nor Cal Second Team and was the leading scorer in the Optimist All-Star game for the South squad. She averaged 16.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, recording 29 double-doubles during her senior campaign.

Craig took an official visit to the Malibu campus earlier this week.

“I got a really good feeling from the head coach and coaching staff,” said Craig. “I met a couple of the girls and they were really nice. It seems like a really good fit for me. They really care about who you are as a person not just your basketball ability.”

Pepperdine is a member of the West Coast Conference and is coached by Ryan Weisenberg, who recently completed his third season at the helm of the program. The Waves lost in the WCC Quarterfinals this season and finished with a 7-24 record.

“It has always been a dream of mine to go to school by the beach,” said Craig. “I did not want to go far away and have always wanted to stay in California. Seeing the campus was amazing. It is exactly where I pictured myself going (to school).”

Craig, who plans to study business at Pepperdine, led St. Francis to the second state championship game appearance in school history and first since 1993. The Troubadours lost 64-51 to Brea Olinda to finish with a 29-6 overall record. St. Francis won the 2016 NorCal Division I Championship with a memorable second-half comeback to reach the CIF State Championship game. St. Francis also won the Delta League with a perfect 14-0 record, reaching the Sac-Joaquin Section final against then-national No. 1 St. Mary’s.

“This year meant so much to me,” said Craig. “I could not have scripted it any better. It was a dream season and I never expected us to make it as far as state.”

Craig is the 27th student-athlete from the Class of 2016 to commit to play collegiate sports next fall. She was featured in the Faces in the Crowd section of Sports Illustrated in the May 2, 2016 edition last week.