LA JOLLA, Calif. – For the second time in the last three weeks, UC San Diego senior
Bryce Pope was named Big West Men's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday afternoon. Pope helped the Tritons remain in a first place tie with two more conference wins last week, a Spirit Night win over UC Riverside Thursday and a 32-point triumph at then-first place UC Davis on Saturday.
With his team leading by two at halftime in a battle of first place teams at UC Davis, Pope took over in the second half Saturday. Pope scored 22 after halftime – nearly outscoring the Aggies (23 points) – as the Tritons earned a
92-59 win, the program's first Big West victory in Davis. Pope finished with 29 points, matching his season high, as the Tritons improved to 8-1 in conference action. For the week, Pope averaged 22 points on 47% shooting with seven rebounds, four assists, three steals and only one turnover in a pair of UC San Diego victories.
The Big West honor is the second of Pope's career, and he is one of two Tritons to earn Big West Player of the Week honors to date 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, hosting CSUN. Tip-off is scheduled for just after 7 p.m. PT from LionTree Arena and tickets can be purchased through Triton Box Office at
https://ucsdtritons.com/tickets.
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.
