CSU East Bay guard Sarah Finlay took home the honors of the California Collegiate Athletic Association’s (CCAA) women’s basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 7-13.
After leading the Pioneers to a home sweep of Chico State and CSU Stanislaus last week, Finlay is the first Pioneer to receive player of the week honors this season.
In the last home stand of the year for the Pioneers, the home sweep marks the first time this season that CSUEB has recorded a 2-0 weekend in CCAA play, as both wins came against conference tournament-bound teams.
In two games, the freshman guard finished the week with 35 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in a 76-69 win over Chico State and a 67-50 victory over CSU Stanislaus.
The freshmen from Reno, Nevada is already demonstrating her leadership abilities in her first year.
“I was really happy and excited that I received Player of the Week,” said Finlay, “but I feel like my whole team has stepped up, and they deserve it just as much as I do.”
Over the past several weeks, the Pioneers have moved up in the standings from last to ninth place, trailing Sonoma State by just three games. After getting off to a rocky start, the Pioneers are showing signs of improvement.
“I am just proud of the way this team has been playing and how hard we have been working not for only ourselves, but for our team and our coaches, who have helped us on and off the court so much,” said Finlay.
A Kinesiology major, Finlay has had her share of leadership roles in the past. She played three years of basketball at Reno High School where she served as captain for two years and led the team to three straight conference titles. She was also a three-time first-team all-conference selection.
Bringing in an impressive résumé and having prior success, the first year player is beginning to catch the attention of the CCAA.
“I have adapted at the collegiate level by having to be smart er, being at a different pace, and getting to know how others work on the court,” said Finlay.
With less than a month left of women’s basketball, Finlay looks to ride her excitement of earning Player of the Week honors and lead the Pioneers to close out the season on a high note.
“I am so happy for this team and how we have grown so much and have come together,” said Finlay. “We have been working hard and earning our wins.”
The Pioneers will close out their season on the road. They will travel to CSU Los Angeles to take on the Golden Eagles on Friday, Feb. 18 kicking off a four-game road swing to end the 2010-11 campaign.
