Bruin guard Hilbert earns Pac-10 Player of Week honors
Halfway through season, w. hoops leads conference in turnover
margin
By Emmanuelle Ejercito
Daily Bruin Staff
Nickey Hilbert became the first Bruin this year to earn Pacific
10 Player of the Week honors. The junior guard received the nod for
the week of Jan. 22.
She followed up a career-high 33-point effort against Arizona
State on Jan. 18 with 18 points in a dramatic come-from-behind win
vs.Arizona two days later.
The Pac-10’s fifth-leading scorer earned the distinction despite
other standout performances around the conference. Other nominees
included Emma Witkowski of ASU, who scored a career-high 35 points
against the Bruins, Arizona’s Adia Barnes, who earned Player of the
Week on Jan. 2, California guard Eliza Sokolowska, Oregon center
Renae Fegent, Oregon State forward Tanja Kostic and Washington
freshman Jamie Redd.
"I think that it is great," UCLA head coach Kathy Olivier said.
"Nickey has had some really good games. She is playing really
consistently right now. It seems like every game, she is raising
her career high."
This marks the 17th Player of the Week award earned by a UCLA
player and the first for Hilbert.
* * *
Almost midway through the season, UCLA’s 4-3 Pac-10 record puts
it in a four-way tie for third place in the conference.
Of the three other teams tied for third, the Bruins have
defeated two of them, Arizona and Washington State. UCLA will play
the other team, No. 18 Oregon State, Saturday in Corvallis.
Leading the Pac-10 with a perfect 8-0 record is last year’s
conference winner No. 5 Stanford; Washington is a distant second
with a 5-2 record.
* * *
The Bruins lead the conference in turnover margin, forcing an
average of 4.4 more turnovers than they surrender.
One factor is UCLA’s ability to steal the ball. The Bruins are
second in the conference in steals with 13.3 per game. Three UCLA
players are ranked in the conference’s top 10 in the steals
department.
Sophomore Tawana Grimes leads UCLA with 3.0 steals per game. Her
average is second only to the 3.3 steals by Washington State’s Jade
Wyatt. Erica Gomez ranks fifth with 2.8 steals while Nickey Hilbert
is ninth with a 2.6 average.
* * *
UCLA ranks third in the conference, with a 45.1 field-goal
percentage, mainly behind the strength of the front court. Bruin
senior Zrinka Kristich leads the conference with a 56.9 field goal
percentage on 78 of 137 shooting.
Also in the top 10 is center Kisa Hughes who ranks fourth with a
53.4 percent.
The back court is also reaping the benefits of UCLA’s strength
in the paint. As a squad, the Bruins are second in the Pac-10 in
assists.
Freshman point guard Gomez averages 6.9 assists per game, good
for third in the conference and is the Pac-10’s best ball handler,
averaging 2.5 assists for every turnover.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Junior guard Nickey Hilbert was named the Pacific 10 Player of
the Week for her career-high 33 points against Arizona State and
her 18-point effort against Arizona.
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