IRVINE, Calif. – Senior
Hunter Hernandez has been named the Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week for the fifth time this season the conference office announced Monday afternoon.
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Hernandez is the first Big West women's basketball player to win five weekly awards in a season since 2018-19.
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Hernandez was recognized following a record-breaking week in which she led UC Irvine to a share of its second Big West regular-season championship in four years.
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On Thursday at Cal Poly, Hernandez tied UCI's single-game scoring record with 41 points. She went 11-for-22 from the field and 16-of-18 at the free throw line. It was the third 40-point game in program history and the Anteaters' first since 2010. Her 41 points are also tied for the 11th-most in all of NCAA Division I this season.
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Two days later, Hernandez dropped a game-high 24 points (10-10 FT) in UC Irvine's title-clinching win at UC Davis. In the two victories, the 5-foot-9 guard averaged 32.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals. She shot 45.9% overall, 45.5% from beyond the arc, and 92.9% at the charity stripe.
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Hernandez closed out the regular season with a school-record 603 points. She also broke the Anteaters' all-time record with 385 career free throws made. As a team, the 'Eaters set a new program best in both overall (26) and conference (17) wins.
UCI earned the No. 1 seed in this week's Credit Union 1 Big West Championship at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada. The 'Eaters have a double-bye into the first semifinal at 12 p.m. on Friday, March 13.
