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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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