OGDEN, Utah – Some weekends, it seems that every Big Sky women’s basketball program has a star player.
This past weekend was one of those weekends, as six players averaged over 20 points, and one player, Northern Arizona’s hKaleigh Paplow, set a season-high for scoring in the league, finishing with 36 points in a loss to Weber State.
With just two weeks remaining on the Road To Reno, several players helped their teams gain positioning for a top-four seed, while a few helped keep their teams in the hunt for a league title.
For her efforts in helping the Vandals to a 2-0 mark this past weekend, Idaho senior Ali Forde was named Big Sky Women’s Basketball Player of the Week.
Forde closed out her final homestand as a Vandal in dominate fashion, as Idaho swept the season series between both Portland State and Sacramento State last week. Forde was a big player, averaging 20 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two blocks per game.
Forde recorded her 19th career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 11 rebounds in a win over Portland State. Forde played 23 minutes in the win, shooting 58.3 percent (7-for-12), while also adding a career-high five steals to her tally.
In a win over Sacramento State on Saturday, Forde led the Vandals in scoring with a career-high 23 points on Senior Day against Sacramento State. She posted 13 points in Idaho’s 38-point first quarter on the way to a 107-60 win. She was near perfect from the field, going 9-for-11 in the win.
Other nominees for this week’s award include: Hayley Hodgins, Eastern Washington; Kaleigh Valley, Montana; Brooke Blair, Idaho State; Deeshyra Thomas, Weber State; Adella Randle-El, Sacramento State; Leah Szabla, North Dakota; Savannah Scott, Northern Colorado; Kian McNair, Portland State; Kaleigh Paplow, Northern Arizona; Jasmine Hommes, Montana State; and Jessica Richardson, Southern Utah.
Press release courtesy of John Oglesby – Big Sky Conference. All Rights Reserved.
