Weber State basketball: Damian Lillard named Big Sky player of the week, yet again

OGDEN — For the fifth time this season, Weber State guard Damian Lillard has been selected as the Big Sky Conference men's basketball Player of the Week.

The 6-foot-3 junior guard from Oakland, Calif., averaged 37.5 points, five assists, two rebounds and one steal per game as the Wildcats earned home wins over Portland State and Northern Colorado. Lillard shot 69.7 percent from the field, 64.7 percent from 3-point range, and 70 percent from the free-throw line. He also scored his 1,700th career point and moved into 12th place on the Big Sky's all-time scoring list.

The nation's top scorer opened the week by scoring 40 points with five assists in a 92-79 win over Portland State. Lillard became the only player in the nation to score at least 40 points in two games this season. Lillard made 13-of-18 shots from the floor, was 6-of-8 from 3-point range, and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. He hit his first six 3-pointers. The 40 points was one shy of his career-high.

Lillard followed with a 35-point game in a 93-81 victory over Northern Colorado. He scored 22 in the second half as the Wildcats moved to 10-1 in conference. Lillard made 12-of-18 shots from the floor, was 5-of-9 from 3-point range, and 6-of-10 from the free-throw line. He once again dished out five assists with three rebounds and two steals. He scored his 1,700th career point on his 23rd point of the game, and now has 1,712 for his career.

Lillard leads the nation with an average of 25.5 points per game. He ranks fourth in 3-pointers per game (3.5), and is sixth in 3-point field-goal percentage (46.3). Lillard is a finalists for the Bob Cousy Award, the John Wooden Award, and the Oscar Robertson Award. Lillard has been selected as the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week seven times in his career.

The Wildcats (18-4, 10-1) play at Northern Arizona Thursday and host Eastern Washington Saturday.