USD point guard Amanda Rego was named co-player of the week on Feb. 11 for her triple-double performance over the University of San Francisco.
Rego delivered 10 assists, 10 points and 10 steals on the way to the Lady Toreros 67-48 win. It was her second triple of the season in Division I women’s basketball action.
Teammate Amber Sprague, who is also from Pacific Beach and a product of Mission Bay High, followed Rego into the spotlight with a 30-point game Feb. 14 to cap a four-game winning streak for USD.
USD’s 6-foot 5-inch center Sprague matched her career-high 30-point effort for the third time during the Lady Toreros’ 62-52 win at Portland. While pulling down 12 rebounds, Sprague helped USD out rebound the Pilots 38-27.
Shooting 12-18 from the floor and 6-6 at free-throws, Sprague helped boost USD’s shot percentage to 45 against Portland. Rego added 11 assists.
Thursday, Feb. 21, may be one of the last three times the pair will be playing together in the Jenny Craig Pavilion at USD when the Lady Toreros host Santa Clara at 7 p.m. Adult tickets are only $5.
USD lost to Santa Clara 66-64 Jan. 21 and will be looking to take the rubber-match on their home court.
Saturday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. will be the last official home game of the season when USD takes on St. Mary’s. The seniors on the Lady Torero squad will be honored, including Rego.
The other senior on the young team is guard Alcha Strane of Hayward, Calif.
Sprague, who sat out a year with a foot injury as a red-shirt player, is still a junior and will return as center next season for USD.
USD will host the West Coast Conference (WCC) women’s championships beginning March 6. All eight teams play in the championship tournament in the opening round on the 6th. Match-ups will be determined by the final standings and seedings.
Information will be available at www.usdtoreros.cstv.com or www.wccsports.cstv.com
The WCC is made up of USD, University of San Francisco, University of Portland, St Mary’s, Santa Clara, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine and Gonzaga.
Rego leads the West Coast Conference with 8.29 assists per game, eclipsing her NCAA-leading pace of 8.1 last season. This season she is second in the nation in assists per game behind the guard from Portland at 8.8. She also leads the WCC in steals with 2.8 per game.
Sprague leads the WCC in rebounding with 9 per game and is No. 1 in defensive rebounding with 6.46 per game. She is No. 2 in blocked shots in the WCC. Putting up an average of 16.3 points per game is two better than her average last year.
The Amber & Amanda duo have been dazzling local basketball fans since they were freshmen at Mission Bay eight years ago.
Growing out of the competitive ranks of hoop fanatics at the Pacific Beach Rec Center, the guard and center combination carved their way through defenses with great ball-handling and size.
They led the Lady Buccaneers to two CIF championships, including a Southern California championship match-up with the seven-time state champions, which resulted in them earning third place in the state in 2004, a great achievement for a public school.
Both players were heavily recruited nationally by top universities but chose to stay near home and join a USD program where they could play and have an impact during all four years, which they have.
USD basketball program information is also available from the school at (619) 260-4600 or visit www.usdtoreros.com.