Kristine Anigwe was born in London to Nigerian parents, Christopher and Annette Anigwe. She and her siblings were raised in Phoenix, Arizona and attended Desert Vista High School. At age 17, Anigwe became a U.S. citizen in June 2014. In her upperclassman years, Anigwe won two consecutive FIBAage group World Championships competing for the United States, first with the under-17s in 2014 and then with the under-19s in 2015. Anigwe scored in double figures in all 27 games for Desert Vista in her senior season, leading the state with 21.1 points and 13.3 rebounds per game and registering 17 double-doubles.
Anigwe's success continued as a sophomore, as she became the first player in California history to average 20 points per game in consecutive seasons. On December 8, 2016, Anigwe recorded the first 50-point game in Golden Bears history, scoring 50 in only 24 minutes against Sacramento State. A month later, on January 8, she became the fastest player in Pac-12 history to reach 1,000 points, hitting the milestone in a loss to eventual Elite Eight participant Oregon. Anigwe continued to lead the Golden Bears in points and rebounds, also leading in field goal percentage and blocks. For the second consecutive year, Anigwe was named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament Team. Anigwe saw her first NCAA Tournament action, in which the Golden Bears narrowly defeated LSU before falling to No. 1 seed Baylor.
Junior season
Anigwe registered 28 points and 25 rebounds in a win against Brown on November 19, 2017, achieving the first 25-25 game in Division I women's basketball in three years. For the third consecutive season, Anigwe led California in points and rebounds as a junior, and was named to the All-Pac-12 Team. She was also a late season nominee for the 2018 Wade Trophy, John R. Wooden Award, Naismith College Player of the Year, and Katrina McClain Awards. California were upset in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Tournament by Virginia.
Senior season
As a senior in 2018–19, Anigwe posted career highs in points and rebounds per game, leading the country in rebounds. She became the third California Golden Bear to score 2,000 career points on December 2, 2018 in a win against Cal State Northridge. Anigwe set multiple school and conference records during her senior season. On February 8 and 10, 2019, Anigwe broke California's scoring and rebounding records in consecutive home losses to Oregon State and Oregon. In her final regular-season college game on March 3, 2019 at Washington State, Anigwe scored 32 points and added 30 rebounds. In doing so, she both set the Pac-12 women's rebounding record, and became the first Division I player since 2002 to record 30 points and rebounds in a single game. Anigwe and California received an at-large big to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, in which they defeated North Carolina before falling to eventual national champions Baylor. Following the season, Anigwe was named the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year.
