SAN MATEO, Calif. — Santa Clara University women's basketball freshman guard Tess Heal earned her sixth West Coast Conference Freshman of the Week award Monday with co-honors for the week of Jan. 2-8 after averaging 18.5 points in two road conference games.
Heal averaged 18.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 45.5% from the field and a perfect 100% from the free-throw line during the week. She was Santa Clara's leading scorer in both games, including her sixth 20-point game of the season on Thursday at Portland with 23. Heal flirted with a triple-double on Thursday against the Pilots, scoring 23 points, pulling down eight rebounds (one short of her season high) and dishing five assists. She scored a team-high 14 points Saturday at No. 20/20 Gonzaga. The first-year student-athlete from Melbourne, Australia, carried a 1.5 assists-to-turnovers ratio in two games and grabbed three total steals.
Pacific's Sydney Ward shared Monday's honor with Heal.
Heal continues to play as one of the best freshmen not only in the WCC, but on the entire West Coast and one of the best in the nation. She's the highest-scoring freshman (16.5 points per game) among all six West Region conferences (WCC, Pac-12, Mountain West, Big West, Big Sky, WAC) and is tied for fifth in the country among all freshmen. Her 4.0 assists per game are tied for eighth in the nation among freshmen.
Heal and the Broncos return to Leavey Center this week for two WCC games. Santa Clara hosts East Bay rival Saint Mary's at 6 p.m. Thursday, then entertains Pacific at 2 p.m. Saturday. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
2022-23 UCU WCC Women's Basketball Freshmen of the Week
November 14: Tess Heal, Santa Clara
November 21: Tess Heal, Santa Clara
November 28: Tess Heal, Santa Clara
December 5: Sydney Ward, Pacific
December 12: Tess Heal, Santa Clara
December 20: Tess Heal, Santa Clara
December 27: Sydney Ward, Pacific
January 2: Veronica Sheffey, San Diego
January 9: Tess Heal, Santa Clara; Sydney Ward, Pacific
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