Alford earns Pac-12 Player of the Week after clinching sweep of Arizona teams
After being in a shooting slump during the Washington road trip, junior guard Bryce Alford stepped up against the Arizona teams, shooting over 50 percent. (Aubrey Yeo/Daily Bruin senior staff)
By Claire Fahy
Jan. 12, 2016 7:37 a.m.
Junior guard Bryce Alford was named the Pac-12 Player of the Week for the first time in his career Monday.
The honor came two days after Alford and UCLA capped a successful series sweep of the Arizona schools, evening the Bruins’ conference record to 2-2 after an 0-2 start.
Against then-No. 7 Arizona on Thursday, Alford scored 25 points on 50 percent shooting, nailing the game-winning 3-pointer with seconds left on the clock. UCLA’s third dethroning of a top-20 team this season helped knock the Wildcats, who also lost to USC last week, to No. 18 in this week’s rankings.
Alford followed up that performance with another solid showing Saturday against Arizona State. The guard had 18 points to go with four assists and two rebounds as the Bruins ground out another wire-to-wire win.
In his third season at UCLA, Alford is proving his ability to compose himself in late-game moments and excel during crunch time. The junior sank a 3-pointer with 24 seconds left against Arizona State to extend the Bruins’ lead to six and help secure the victory.
Alford is third in the Pac-12 in scoring, first in free-throw shooting and fifth in made 3-pointers. He is UCLA’s leading scorer, captaining a Bruin team poised for its most successful season in recent history after upsetting March Madness fixtures Kentucky and Gonzaga in December.
Compiled by Claire Fahy, Bruin Sports senior staff.
