WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Shabazz Muhammad of the UCLA men’s basketball team has secured Pac-12 Player of the Week honors for the week of Dec. 24-30, as announced by the conference office on Monday.
Muhammad scored a season-high-tying 27 points for the second time in as many games, making 10 of 19 shots (including 3 of 6 3-pointers) in UCLA’s 97-94 overtime win over No. 7 Missouri on Friday. He made two 3-point shots in overtime that put UCLA ahead – his first overtime three-pointer snapped an 88-88 tie, and his second overtime trey gave UCLA the lead for good, at 95-93 with 1:01 to play.
The 6-foot-6 freshman from Las Vegas has scored in double figures in all 10 games played, recording at least 20 points in five games (including each of UCLA’s last four contests). Muhammad’s 27-point effort Friday helped UCLA secure its first win over a top-10 ranked nonconference team since Nov. 20, 2007 (Michigan State).
Muhammad becomes the first UCLA men’s basketball player to earn the conference’s weekly award since Lazeric Jones captured the weekly honor on March 5, 2012.
UCLA (10-3) opens Pac-12 action against California (8-4) on Thursday at 8 p.m. and will be televised on Fox Sports West.
