Richard, Bland Earn CCAA Basketball Player of the Week Honors
Shannon Bland and Jalen Richard.
- January 12, 2016
For the first time since joining the conference, ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ swept the California College Athletic Association’s weekly basketball awards with Jalen Richard earning men’s player of the week honor and Shannon Bland winning on the women’s side.
Richard scored a career-high 24 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the Pioneers’ 46-37 road win over Cal State LA. For the week, the Santa Clara transfer averaged 23 points and eight rebounds, while shooting 52 percent from the field, 38 percent from long range, and 91 percent from the free throw line. He has topped 20 points in three straight games and ranks fifth in the CCAA in scoring for the season at 16.0 points per game. Richard is ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥’s leading scorer.
Bland, a guard from Ellensburg, Wash., led the ÂãÁÄÖ±²¥ women’s team to road wins at Cal State San Marcos and Cal State LA, keeping the Pioneers undefeated in league play at 7-0.
Bland was the leading scorer in both contests, tipping off the weekend with a career-high 25 points in a 57-50 win over San Marcos.
The next night, she notched her third 20-point game of the season in a thrilling 65-63 win over the Golden Eagles. Bland's final field goal of the night was her most crucial. With 11 seconds left in a tie game, she dribbled into the lane and buried a jumper to lift the Pioneers to victory and preserve their winning streak.