Long Beach State University Athletics
Raven Benton Named Big West Player of the Week
12/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
IRVINE, Calif. - Junior Raven Benton (Tacoma, Wash.) has been named the Big West Women's Basketball Player of the Week the conference office announced Monday afternoon.
Benton was recognized for her performance in the Beach Classic where she garnered tournament MVP honors. She led Long Beach State to wins against UTEP and UNLV, averaging a team-best 22.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
The 5-foot-10 guard had a career night in Sunday's 67-63 victory over UNLV where she poured in 31 points on only 14 shot attempts. She was 10-of-14 from the field, 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Benton became the first 49er to register a 30-point game since 2010. She also had eight rebounds and two assists against the Lady Rebels.
Two days earlier in the Beach Classic opener, Benton paced LBSU in a 47-40 win over previously unbeaten UTEP. She scored a game-high 13 points, while adding five rebounds, four assists and three steals in a defensive battle. The Miners were receiving votes in the AP Top-25 Poll.
On the weekend, Benton made 53.6 percent of her field goal attempts and was 83.3 percent (10-for-12) from the charity stripe. Her 10 made free throws pushed her career total to 261, which ranks 10th in school history.
This is the second career weekly award for Benton and the second for Long Beach State this season. Jewelyn Sawyer also earned the honor on Dec. 7.
The Beach (9-3) is off this week and will return to action on Monday, Dec. 28, with a 6 p.m. (PST) showdown at Denver.
