Amber Rice, a member of the Mount Vernon Nazarene College women's basketball team, has been named the National Christian College Athletic Association National Women's Basketball Player of the Week for her efforts during the week of February 2-8.
Rice, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard from Baltic, Ohio, led the Lady Cougars to a 2-0 week. In a 78-58 victory over Ohio Dominican College, Rice scored nine points, grabbed three rebounds, and recorded one steal. She was also 4-for-4 at the free throw line.
In MVNC's 70-49 win over Notre Dame College, Rice scorched the nets for a career-high 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field. The former Garaway High School star matched her career high with six three-pointers (one shy of the single-game school record) as she connected on 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc. She also added three rebounds and three assists.
For the week, Rice averaged 16.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. She shot 47.8 percent from the field (11-of-23), 46.7 percent from three-point land (7-of-15), and 100 percent from the charity stripe (4-for-4). She also totaled three assists and one steal.
During the week, Rice moved into fourth place on the Lady Cougars' career three-pointers made list with 76 in only her second season. Even more impressive is the fact that she has missed 12 games in those two seasons due to also being a member of the MVNC women's volleyball team.
The Lady Cougars are currently 14-12 overall on the season and 7-5 in the Mid-Ohio Conference. MVNC is ranked ninth in this week's NCCAA national rankings, while the team is in fourth place in the MOC.
