Ned earns conference honors

UCI guard honored by the Big West after leading Anteaters to two wins and setting personal bests in rebounds and steals.UC Irvine’s Angie Ned has been named the Big West Conference’s Women’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week ending Feb. 12.

The junior averaged 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two games as the Anteaters won a pair of conference games, extending their season-best winning streak to three games. With the victories, UCI (7-16, 5-6 in conference) moved into fifth place in the conference standings.

It was the first time Ned has received Big West Player of the Week recognition in her career. She is also UCI’s first women’s Player of the Week this season.

Ned, a junior from Moreno Valley, set a pair of career-bests in her two outings last week. The 5-foot-10 guard scored 16 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds in a 79-58 victory over Pacific on Feb. 9. In the game, she went 7-for-13 on field goals and made all four of her free throws.

Two days later, Ned tallied 13 points, eight rebounds and a personal-best six steals in UCI’s 59-55 win against Cal State Northridge. All 13 of Ned’s points came in the second half as the Anteaters rallied and then held on against the Matadors. She scored five consecutive points to erase a one-point deficit at one point.

Her free throw with 1:40 remaining against Northridge gave her 800 points for her UCI career.

Ned, an All-Big West second team selection as a sophomore, is in the Big West Conference’s top 10 in six offensive categories. She is third in the conference in scoring with 13.1 points per contest.

The Anteaters go on the road for a pair of games this week. UCI travels to second-place UC Santa Barbara for a 7 p.m. Thursday game, and then to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo for a 4 p.m. Saturday contest.

A victory over Cal Poly could vault UCI into fourth place by percentage points in the Big West with one conference game remaining. The Mustangs (5-4 in conference) play host to first-place Long Beach State prior to playing the Anteaters.20060215ic6m5mkfDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN/DAILY PILOT(LA)UCI women’s basketball player Angie Ned has been named Big West Player of the Week after averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in two victories.