DENVER – Fresno State junior guard Jaleesa Ross has been named the Verizon Wireless Western Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 8-14. This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Ross and the sixth of her career.
Ross, a Pinole, Calif., native, averaged 19.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game while leading Fresno State to a record start last week. She shot 61 percent (14-of-23) from the field and 61 percent (8-of-13) from three-point range on the week as the Bulldogs are now 20-5 on the year and 11-0 in WAC play. She opened the week with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, a career-high nine assists, four rebounds and three steals in a win over Idaho. In Saturday’s win over New Mexico State, a game in which she played the full 40 minutes, Ross scored a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds, two assists and two steals. Her eight three-pointers during the week bring her career total to 266, seven shy of the Fresno State career record of 273.
Other nominees included: Rebecca Kepilino of Boise State averaged 13.0 points on 75 percent shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals on the week … Hawai’i’s Leilani Galdones averaged 14.5 points on 64 percent shooting and dished out 3.0 assists on the week … Rachele Kloke of Idaho averaged 16.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals last week … Louisiana Tech’s Shanavia Dowdell finished with 25 points, 13 rebounds and three assists in a win over San Jose State … Tahnee Robinson of Nevada averaged 17.5 points on 40 percent shooting as the Wolf Pack went 1-1 on the week … New Mexico State’s Crystal Boyd averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.5 steals … Chasity Shavers of San Jose State averaged 17.5 points on 56 percent shooting to go with 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals on the week … Utah State’s Nicole Johnson became the Aggies’ all-time blocks leader with her 128th career swat last week.