Fields, Rowe named Pac-12 Players of the Week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 Conference office announced today the Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week for the week of Dec. 23-29. UCLA’s Nirra Fields was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Week and OREGON’s Chrishae Rowe was tabbed the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.

Sophomore guard Nirra Fields (Montreal, Canada) led the Bruins to a 96-89 home win over Cal Poly on Dec. 28, UCLA’s only game of the week. She scored a career-high 36 points on a prolific shooting night while making a career-high five three-pointers. She also added a game-high five steals to go with one assist in the game. She shot 72.2 percent from the field, 71.4 percent from long range and made 100 percent of her free throws (5-for-5) against Cal Poly. Her 36 points were the most by a Bruin since 2005 and is tied for the 11th-highest single-game performance in UCLA history. It is also tied for the third-best single-game total in the Conference this season.

Freshman Chrishae Rowe (Corona, Calif.) turned in another strong performance in a 96-61 Oregon win over Cal State Northridge. She scored a game-high 28 points while stuffing, also adding seven rebounds and career-high five assists. She also recorded a block and three steals. Rowe, who is second in the Pac-12 in scoring and steals, bested her averages (24.2 ppg; 2.8 apg) in both categories against the Matadors.

It is Fields’ first-career weekly honor and UCLA’s 50th all-time weekly. She is the second Bruin to earn the honor this year, after teammate Atonye Nyingifa was selected on Nov. 25. Rowe is the freshman honoree for the fourth time this season, tying for the second-most in a season since the award was instated last year. COLORADO’s Arielle Roberson was picked the freshman honoree five times last year.

A player of the week has been selected every week since 1986-87, the first year the Conference sponsored women’s sports. A freshman of the week was first selected in 2012-13.

The Bruins open the 2013-14 Pac-12 season hosting USC tonight at 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks, then host Utah on Friday, Jan. 3 and Colorado on Sunday, Jan. 5. The Ducks head to Stanford for their Conference opener on Friday, then close out the weekend at California on Sunday.

Also Nominated:
PLAYER: Carissa Crutchfield, ARIZ; Reshanda Gray, CAL; Ashley Wilson, COLO; Jillian Alleyne, ORE; Ruth Hamblin, OSU; Taylor Greenfield, STAN; Cassie Harberts, USC.

FRESHMAN: Breanna Workman, ARIZ; Courtney Range, CAL; Sydney Weise, OSU.

2013-14 Pac-12 Women’s Basketball Players of the Week