DAVIS, Calif. — After becoming only the eighth student-athlete in the history of the Big West Conference to reach 2,000 points for her career, senior biomedical engineering major
Morgan Bertsch has been named the league's player of the week for the third time this season as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
Also earning accolades from the Big West office on Nov. 19 and Dec. 10, it marks the sixth career weekly honor for the Santa Rosa, Calif., native, extending her school record mark for the most Big West player of the week awards in a career and becoming the first Aggie to win the award three times in a single season, surpassing Jessica Campbell, who was named the league's player of the week twice in 2007-08.
In addition, Bertsch was also honored as the top player in the conference by College Sports Madness, part of the USA Today Media Group, for the fourth time this year.
Stuffing the stat sheet for a game-high 31 points in only 29 minutes in a 67-59 victory at UC Riverside to tip off Big West play, Bertsch reached — and surpassed — the 2,000-point plateau with a pair of free throws with 4:32 remaining in regulation, becoming the first player to reach the mark since the Highlanders' Brittany Crain finished her career with 2,326 career points in 2016. She finished 11-of-19 from the field and 8-of-10 from the line while adding eight rebounds, scoring at least 30 points in a game for the sixth time in her career — four of those coming this season alone.
Bertsch joins an exclusive group that includes New Mexico State's Anita Maxwell (2,601), Hawai'i's Judy Mosley (2,479), Cal State Fullerton's Genia Miller (2,415), Crain, Long Beach State's Penny Toler (2,193), Idaho's Alli Nieman (2,140), and UC Riverside's Kemie Nkele (2,062).
Entering Saturday's contest at Hawai'i, Bertsch stands at 2,001 points for her career and leads the Big West in scoring at 23.8 points per game, ranking among the top 10 in the league in four other categories: field goal percentage (fourth), free throw percentage (fourth), blocks per game (fourth), and offensive rebounds per game (eighth).
Among the nation's best, Bertsch also enters the week ranked fourth in the NCAA in points (333), fifth in points per game (23.8 ppg), seventh in free throws made (78), and fourth in field goals made (123).
Tip off in Honolulu is scheduled for 11 a.m. PT at the Stan Sheriff Center on O'ahu.
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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.
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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.
