DAVIS, Calif. — For the second time in three weeks and the fourth time overall in the 2018-19 campaign, UC Davis senior biomedical engineering major
Morgan Bertsch has laid claim to the Big West Conference's Player of the Week award after helping the Aggies to a pair of dominant victories over Cal State Fullerton and UC Irvine last week.
The four weekly awards are the most by any player in the league this season, breaking a tie with the Anteaters' Jordan Sanders, and marks the seventh career honor for the Santa Rosa, Calif., native — the most of any UC Davis player in the program's history. Bertsch also picked up the award on Nov. 19, Dec. 10, and Jan. 9, of this season.
Averaging 27.0 points and shooting .630 (17-for-27) from the field for the week, Bertsch extended her 20-point scoring streak to six consecutive games and, in the process, passed UC Riverside's Kemie Nkele for seventh on the league's all-time scoring list with 2,084 career points — a total that ranks sixth among active players in the NCAA entering the week.
After scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 from the floor to go with seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and four steals, against the Titans, Bertsch exploded for 29 points against UC Irvine (which was ranked No. 15 in the latest College Insider Mid-Major poll), hitting 8-of-14 from the field while adding a career-high tying five assists and three blocks.
Against the Anteaters, the senior finished a perfect 11-for-11 from the line en route to the win, establishing a new school single-game record by breaking the previous mark of 10-for-10 held by four former UC Davis greats: Ellen Porshneva (2003 at Chico State), Jennifer Goodwin (1994 at Sacramento State), Ashley Stevens (1992 at Grand Canyon), and Lisa Jo Kellogg (1989 at UC Riverside).
As a team, the Aggies finished 16-of-16 from the line to establish a new single-game team mark for makes from the line without a miss, falling just one short of the all-time record of 17-for-17 against Whitworth on Dec. 3, 1993.
Bertsch enters the week ranked No. 4 in the nation in both points (416) and points per game (24.5 ppg), while standing 10th in free throws made (97) and fourth in field goals made (153).
Winners of six straight at home, UC Davis heads back out on the road for a pair of contests in Southern California.
First up, a rematch of last year's conference tournament championship game and a battle of first-place teams as the Aggies head to Northridge to take on CSUN on Thursday (Jan. 24) at 7 p.m., in a game streamed live on ESPN3. Two days later, UC Davis heads to Orange County for a quick rematch with Cal State Fullerton, battling the Titans for the second time in a week on Saturday (Jan. 26) at 2 p.m.
UC DAVIS BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Anna Harp — Nov. 19, 2007
Jessica Campbell - Dec. 24, 2007; Jan. 21, 2008
Heidi Heintz — Dec. 7, 2009; Dec. 23, 2010
Paige Mintun - March 8, 2010
Vicky Deely — Nov. 22, 2010
Cortney French — Nov. 26, 2012
Sydnee Fipps — March 4, 2013; Dec. 23, 2013; Feb. 23, 2015
Alyson Doherty — Nov. 30, 2015
Morgan Bertsch — Dec. 26, 2016; Nov. 13, 2017; Feb. 12, 2018; Nov. 19, 2018; Dec. 10, 2018; Jan. 7, 2019; Jan. 21, 2019
Pele Gianotti — Feb. 27, 2017
Rachel Nagel — Nov. 27, 2017
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
