UCLA's Norman Powell Captures Pac-12 Player of the Week Acclaim

Norman Powell leads UCLA with 21.3 points per game (photo by Don Liebig)

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics

Courtesy: UCLA Athletics  
Release: Monday 11/24/2014

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SAN FRANCISCO - UCLA senior guard Norman Powell has secured Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, the conference office announced Monday.

Powell, a 6-foot-4 guard from San Diego, averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals in UCLA’s two victories last week. He netted 23 points in UCLA’s 107-74 win over Nicholls State on Nov. 20 before scoring a game-high 24 points versus Long Beach State in the Bruins’ 77-63 win on Nov.23.

Powell has scored at least 20 points in three of UCLA’s four games, helping the Bruins open the season with a 4-0 mark for the second consecutive year. He shot 62.5 percent from the field in UCLA’s two wins last week, making 7 of 10 three-pointers. In the team’s 77-63 win against Long Beach State on Sunday, Powell scored a game-leading 24 points and registered a career-high six steals.

UCLA’s most veteran player, Powell has played in each of the team’s last 109 games dating to the start of the 2011-12 season. He has scored 870 career points and currently stands 130 shy of become the 51st player in program history to reach the 1,000-career point plateau.

Ranked No. 22 in this week’s AP poll and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches poll, the Bruins will face No. 21 Oklahoma (2-1) in the Bahamas on Wednesday. Game time is 11:30 a.m. (PT). UCLA’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas and Andy Katz calling the action.