Rubino Wins the Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week Award
12/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2005
Sacred Heart senior Nicolle Rubino (Port Jefferson Station, NY) was named the Choice Hotels Northeast Conference Player of the Week announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
Rubino fueled the Pioneers' 18-point, second-half comeback against Iona in Sacred Heart's lone game last week. The senior scored 19 of her career-high 27 points in the second stanza to lead her team to a 79-78 win. Rubino shot a career-best 11-of-17 from the field and hit 5-of-7 three-pointers (tying a career mark) to guide the Pioneers to their fifth-straight win and to an NEC-best 6-1 overall record. The guard and team co-captain was 8-of-11 in the second half from the field, hitting three huge three-pointers to help pull the Pioneers out of the 18-point hole. Rubino's biggest play, however, came on the defensive end, forcing a steal in the closing seconds of the game to seal the win. Down by one point, Iona raced up the court with 10 second left and tried to dump the ball inside before Rubino intervened to knock the ball away and collect the loose ball. The Port Jefferson Station, NY product is now averaging 14.7 points per game and is shooting an impressive 52.5 percent (42-80) from the field. She also has a team-high nine three-pointers with 18 assists and 17 steals. Remarkably, the four-year starter earns her first career Choice Hotels NEC Player of the Week award.
Rubino and the Pioneers are set to take on #4 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes Tuesday night in Columbus at 7:00 pm.
