LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego senior
Bryce Pope was voted Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Pope led the Tritons into a first place tie with two more conference wins last week, lifting UC San Diego to a perfect 5-0 mark against Big West foes.
Pope scored 26 points in the Tritons' first-ever home win over Long Beach State Thursday and then added 17 in limited minutes Saturday at Cal Poly as UC San Diego improved to 5-0 for the first time ever in Big West action. For the week, Pope averaged 21.5 points per game and shot 50% (6-for-12) from beyond the three-point arc. He is averaging 23.0 points per game in five Big West contests.
Pope is the second UC San Diego men's basketball player to earn Big West Player of the Week honors this season.
Aniwaniwa Tait-Jones was recognized on Nov. 13 following the season's first week of play. In the program's brief Division I history, three UC San Diego players have captured the award. In addition to Pope and Tait-Jones this season, Toni Rocak was recognized twice in the 2021-22 season.
UC San Diego is back in action Thursday night at UC Irvine in a battle of The Big West's two remaining unbeaten teams. Tip-off is scheduled for just after 7 p.m. PT from Bren Events Center.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
