Get out of my house!
Sophomore forward Kristee Porter has taken the Pac-10 lead in
blocked shots. Fresh off her four-swat performance against Oregon
State on Sunday, Porter stands alone in first place with an average
of 1.72 blocks per game, narrowly edging Oregon’s Jenny Mowe
for the top spot in the conference.
Porter, an All-American volleyball player, joined the team in
December and has been dazzling fans with her athletic ability. Her
natural timing and leaping prowess allow her to turn away
opponents’ scoring attempts both inside the post and along
the perimeter.
But in the beginning of the season, Porter was plagued by foul
troubles due to her basketball inexperience and her tendency to
leap up and under fakes. However, she has worked at her winter
sport and on Sunday played every minute of the game for the first
time in her career. At her current rate she will be the best
defensive player in the Pac-10 by the end of the season.
Greco nears 1,000 points
Junior guard Michelle Greco, who leads the Pac-10 in scoring at
19.9 points per game, is within 41 points of becoming the 19th
Bruin to reach the 1,000-point club. Greco, who missed the game
against Oregon last Thursday due to the lingering effects of a head
injury sustained the weekend before at Arizona State, returned on
Sunday to score 22 points.
The last player to surpass the 1,000-point barrier were former
Bruins Marie Philman and Janae Hubbard, who reached the club last
season. It is almost certain that Greco will reach the number
within the next three games barring an injury.
Bruins banging the boards
Although UCLA has been struggling with rebounding all season,
the improvement in recent games by freshman forwards Jamila Veasley
and Whitney Jones has been encouraging. This past weekend both
Bruin forwards reached double figures in rebounding for the first
time in their UCLA careers. Veasley pulled down 11 rebounds against
Oregon, and Jones had 10 against Oregon State.
Porter, who is currently third in the Pac-10 in rebounds at 7.8
rebounds per game, reached double figures against both Oregon
rivals last weekend. With two tall recruits committed to the Blue
and Gold for next fall, the Bruins should improve significantly
from their current last place position in the category.
That’s a lotta threes
Stanford guard/forward Lindsey Yamasaki made nine three-pointers
on 16 attempts during a 95-87 loss to Washington on Saturday.
Yamasaki tied the Pac-10 record and set the record for a Pac-10
conference game. The 15 attempts also set the Pac-10 record.
Yamasaki, who averaged 29.5 points during Stanford’s weekend
against the Washington schools, was named the Pac-10 player of the
week. Yamasaki and the Stanford Cardinal will be hosting UCLA this
Saturday.
Injury update
Greco was held out of the game against Oregon due to the effects
of a hit to the head against Arizona State the previous week.
Greco, who suffered a couple of concussions last year, returned to
the floor against Oregon State and is not expected to miss any more
games.
Junior forward Stacy Robertson tore her ACL in her right knee on
Feb. 21 during practice and will miss the remainder of the
season.
Notes compiled by Scott Schultz, Daily Bruin Contributor.