Alford Named Pac-12 Player of the Week

Bryce Alford averaged 21.5 points in UCLA's two wins last week (photo by Don Liebig)

UCLA Athletics

JAN 11, 2016 | MEN'S BASKETBALL

By: UCLA Athletics

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SAN FRANCISCO – UCLA junior guard Bryce Alford has earned Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career, the conference office announced Monday.

In UCLA’s two home victories last week, Alford registered 21.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. He shot 55.2 percent from the field, making 8 of 16 shots from 3-point range (50.0 percent).

Alford scored a team-leading 25 points in UCLA’s 87-84 win over No. 7 Arizona in Pauley Pavilion on Thursday evening. He nailed a 3-pointer to break an 84-84 tie with 1.8 seconds remaining in the win over the Wildcats. Two days later, Alford finished with 18 points in UCLA’s 81-74 victory against Arizona State. His 3-pointer with 24 seconds to play helped the Bruins extend their lead to 80-74.

Alford, a 6-foot-3 guard hailing from Albuquerque, N.M., currently ranks third in the Pac-12 in scoring (team-leading 17.4 points per game). He ranks first in the league in free throw percentage (87.5), fourth in assists per game (5.1), fifth in 3-pointers made per game (2.2) and seventh in assist-turnover ratio (2.1). Alford and Oregon State’s Gary Payton II are the league’s only players who currently rank in the top five in both scoring and assists.

UCLA improved to 3-2 against top-25 ranked teams last Thursday with an 87-84 win over No. 7 Arizona.

The Bruins (11-6, 2-2) are back in action against USC (14-3, 3-1) in Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday, Jan. 13. Game time is 8 p.m. UCLA’s game against the Trojans will be nationally televised on ESPN2.