NEW ORLEANS — Trana Hopkins produced a rare trifecta Tuesday. The senior guard on the Xavier University of Louisiana women's basketball team won player-of-the-week awards for Feb. 22-28 from the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, statewide from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association and nationally in NAIA Division I.Hopkins — from Marietta, Ga., and a former standout at Marietta High School and Chattahoochee Valley Community College in Phenix City, Ala. — averaged 24 points, 7.5 rebounds and four steals in GCAC victories at Tougaloo and Dillard. Her 34 points Feb. 22 at Tougaloo are the most by a Gold Nugget since 1998, and in that game she made seven 3-pointers (in nine attempts) to tie a Xavier record. Her eight rebounds and five steals were career highs.
The 34 points matched the most by a GCAC player this season, and her seven 3s matched the most by a GCAC player in the last three seasons. In the third quarter against Tougaloo, she scored 18 points and made 4-of-4 3-pointers.
Hopkins had 14 points and seven rebounds Saturday at Dillard. For the season, she is averaging 9.1 points in 30 games (21 starts) and shooting a team-best 38 percent (30-of-79) from 3-point range.
The Louisiana Player of the Week is determined by an LSWA panel with nominees from NAIA and NCAA Division I members.
The NAIA award is the second by a Gold Nugget — Brittany Powell won in January 2010 — and the first for a GCAC women's basketball player since SUNO's Brandy Broome won the final award of the 2014-15 season.
Xavier (19-11) will play city rival Dillard (9-17) at noon Friday in the opening round of the GCAC Tournament at SUNO's facility, The Castle. The women's and men's semifinals and finals will be played Saturday and Sunday at Xavier's Convocation Center.
Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAgold.com
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
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