SAN FRANCISCO -- Rachel Howard added another accolade to her collection this week in being named National Jesuit Player of the Week by the Jesuit Basketball Spotlight. The honor comes on the heels of a West Coast Conference Player of the Week nod after Howard averaged 21 points over two Dons wins and shot 43.5 percent from the field on the week.
 
The senior from Berkeley, Calif. led USF to a 77-72 win over fellow Jesuit foe Gonzaga this past Thursday in which Howard tallied 23 points while matching her season high by going 5-for-9 from beyond the arc. Howard scored 12 of her 23 points in the fourth quarter against the first-place Zags and handed out a game-high six assists.
 
She followed that up with 19 points in an 83-71 win over Portland on Saturday, going 5-of-9 from the field and 3-for-4 from distance to help the Dons secure the season sweep of the Pilots. In the process, Howard moved into 13th place among USF's all-time leading scorers with 1,244 career points. 
 
This is Howard's first Jesuit Player of the Week honor, and she becomes the second Don to secure the honor this season after Michaela Rakova on Jan. 3.
 
The Jesuit Basketball Spotlight (JBS) is a nationwide effort to capitalize on basketball games between Jesuit schools and, through those games, bring greater positive awareness and exposure to Jesuit education and its shared mission. For more information visit JesuitBasketball.com, follow @Jesuit_BBall on Twitter or visit Jesuit Basketball Spotlight on Facebook.
 
Howard and the Dons (15-12, 9-7 WCC) close out the regular season this week with a pair of home matchups against Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m. on Thursday, followed by Senior Day on Saturday at 2 p.m. against Pepperdine where Howard will be honored along with fellow seniors, Hashima Carothers, Claudia Price and Raushan Gultekin.