Nov. 24, 2008

LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore guard Erica Helms was named the Mountain West Conference Women's Basketball Co-Player of the Week after leading the Lady Rebels to a 2-0 week and help the team start the season at 3-0 for the first time since 2002-03, the conference announced on Monday. It is the first weekly honor of her career for Helms, who shared this week's award with Morgan Warburton of Utah.

Helms, a 5-7 guard and native of Antioch, Calif., averaged a team-high 17.5 points per game in leading UNLV to wins over Sacramento State and Nevada, Reno. Against the Hornets on Nov. 18, Helms poured in a career-high tying 19 points for the second-straight game thanks to 6-of-11 shooting, including 2-of-4 from three-point land. She also posted six assists and two steals in the win. Against intra-state rival UNR on Friday, Helms scored a game-high-tying 16 points on five-of-nine shooting. For the week, she shot 55 percent from the floor, 42.9% from three-point range, and made 10-of-13 free throws for 73.9 percent.

She currently is leading UNLV with a 16.0 ppg average while shooting 50% and dishing out 3.3 assists per game.

UNLV returns to action this weekend, hosting The Lady Rebel Round-Up on Friday and Saturday in the Cox Pavilion. The tournament starts with Georgia and Cal State Fullerton playing at 1 pm, followed by Eastern Washington and UNLV at 3:30 pm. The consolation and championship games will be played the following day at 11:30 am and 2 pm.