Berberabe nets NAIA Player of the Week honors
MONTECITO, Calif. - Westmont's Stefanie Berberabe has been named the NAIA Women's Basketball National Player of the Week in recognition of her performances in the final week of Golden State Athletic Conference play.
"Stefanie has continued to be a difference maker in the GSAC on both ends of the floor and on the boards," said Westmont's head coach Kirsten Moore. "She leads the conference in steals and ranks first in the GSAC in assist-to-turnover ratio at 4.3. She leaves her mark all over the court and, with two must win games last week, she did it all and led our team to our fourth straight GSAC Championship.
"One stat that shows her heart and hustle is that though she is 5-4, she ranks fifth in career offensive rebounds at Westmont."
On Thursday, Berberabe tallied 21 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and three steals to lead Westmont (23-2) to a 66-57 victory over Menlo (19-8) as the Warriors clinched a share of the GSAC Championship.
Then on Saturday, Berberabe notched her third triple-double of the season, and the fourth of her career, in Westmont's 81-44 win over Jessup (14-13). The senior guard tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists and two steals.
As a result of Saturday's game, Westmont clinched the GSAC Regular Season Championship outright, claimed the number one-seed in the GSAC Tournament, and secured an automatic berth into the NAIA National Championship.
"Stef is an all-around player who cares more about making her teammates better than her own scoring," said Moore. "She is the only player in the conference to have recorded any triple-doubles this season and she has three. She does so many different things to help our team win and, honestly, her intangible qualities of grit, work ethic, and love for her teammates are even more impactful.
"Stef and Sydney Brown came back for their fifth years so that they could pass on to a new generation what it means to be a Warrior. That has been their primary goal this year and through so many big and little things, their impact on the success of our team will last long after they have graduated. "
A two-time, first team All-American and the 2020-21 NAIA Player of the Year, Berberabe rewrote the Westmont career scoring record and continues to do so every time she takes the court. She currently has 1,658 points.
She is also second in career assists at 581, second in career steals at 316, and fifth in career offensive rebounds at 252.
As a result of winning the conference title, the Warriors, have secured a bye in the quarterfinals of the GSAC Tournament which begins on Thursday at Menlo in Atherton. Friday, Westmont will begin play in the semifinal round by taking on the winner of the quarterfinal game between Hope International and The Master's.
(Article courtesy of Westmont Athletics)
