Women's Basketball

Women’s Basketball Weekly Awards – Feb. 13

IRVINE, Calif. – This week’s PacWest Women’s Basketball Players of the Week are Aubrey Mendonca (Notre Dame de Namur), Karleigh Joseph (Academy of Art) and Destiny Castro (Chaminade). The awards are based on games played Feb. 6-12.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aubrey Mendonca (Notre Dame de Namur)
G – Jr. – Red Bluff, Calif./College of the Redwoods
 
Mendonca led Notre Dame de Namur to three wins, improving the Argo’s conference record to 11-6 and putting them in a tie with Azusa Pacific for fourth place. She averaged 19.0 points on 52.8 percent (19-36) shooting, and had seven three-pointers and six steals. She scored a career-high 24 points in a double overtime win against Academy of Art. She converted a three-point play early in the second overtime on a tough layup that started a decisive 14-5 run for NDNU. She scored 10 points against Dominican, including five in second-half run that led NDNU to erase a 14-point deficit. She had 19 points and a career-high four steals against Holy Names, scoring 19 of NDNU’s 36 first-half points.
 
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Karleigh Joseph (Academy of Art)
G – Fr. – West Palm Beach, Calif./Oxbridge Academy
 
Joseph had a strong all-around week, averaging 15.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 2.0 steals per game, but her defensive effort made a significant impact. She set career-highs across the board with 22 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, four blocks, and two steals against Notre Dame de Namur. She held NDNU’s top-scorer to 5-of-19 shooting and blocked her shot in the final seconds of the first overtime to force a second extra period. She had eight points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a win over Chaminade. Joseph is averaging 2.6 steals over the last five games.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Destiny Castro (Chaminade)
G – Fr. – Talofofo, Guam/Notre Dame HS
 
Castro earned her fifth weekly conference honor, tied for the most of any player across all three awards this year. She recorded 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, five steals and a block against Academy of Art. Castro is averaging 13.4 points over her last eight games and is 23rd in the conference in scoring (11.7 ppg).