Besse earns conference accolades

Vanguard junior center nearly averages a double-double on the way to collecting Player of the Week honors in women’s basketball.Vanguard University women’s basketball player Rachel Besse was named Golden State Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the week ending Jan. 14.

Besse, a 6-foot-2 center, averaged 13.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists as the Lions -- ranked No. 1 in NAIA Division I -- recorded victories over Westmont and Fresno Pacific to remain undefeated this season.

She made 11 of 15 field-goal attempts (73%) and 5 of 8 free throws in the two games for Vanguard (15-0, 8-0 in conference).

The junior from Alaska recorded her third double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds against Westmont, a 69-33 win for the Lions on Jan. 10. At Fresno Pacific, she had 12 points and eight rebounds in the 85-44 road victory on Jan. 14.

Besse recently surpassed the 1,000-point and 600-rebound plateaus in her Vanguard career, after getting nine points and five rebounds in the Lions’ 94-74 win over The Master’s on Jan. 7.

Going into Saturday night’s game against Hope International, Besse was averaging 13.3 points and 7.6 rebounds for Vanguard. She leads the team in blocks with 37 -- good enough for second in the conference behind Point Loma Nazarene’s Mica DeHoog -- and is fourth in steals with 29.

Besse also leads the conference in field goal percentage, connecting on 62.6% of her shots.

She is the second member of the Lions’ women’s team to earn conference Player of the Week honors. Kelly Schmidt received the award the previous week, also earning NAIA Division I Player of the Week accolades.

Besse was also named Vanguard’s Lion of the Week for her performances.200601224B1N6I8ENo Caption20060122iaduyqkfMARK C. DUSTIN / DAILY PILOT(LA)