Dec. 3, 2012

AMHERST, Mass. - Freshman Rashida Timbilla was named UMass Athlete of the Week on Monday afternoon, becoming the second Minutewoman from the women's basketball squad to earn the honor during the current season. Timbilla provided clutch play during a stretch of two games in the state of Ohio to secure the laurel, providing 11.5 points and 14.0 rebounds during the week. Averaging 34.5 minutes per game, Timbilla hit 10-of-24 field goal attempts (41.7 percent) while contributing five blocks, four assists and two steals as the Minutewomen claimed victory over Ohio, 65-61 and fell to Miami (Ohio), 50-40.

Without the help of senior center Jasmine Watson, who recently eclipsed 1,000 career points for the Minutewomen, Timbilla was called upon to increase her productivity at Ohio and answered with 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead UMass to victory, adding four of the team's 11 blocks, which fell one shy of tying the program's all-time record for most in a single game. The win against the Bobcats marked the second time this season UMass has claimed victory when Timbilla nets a double-double.

Two days later, Timbilla grabbed a single-game career-best 15 rebounds during the defensive battle with the RedHawks, the fourth time she has pulled down at least 10 boards so far this season. Timbilla has grabbed the most rebounds (72) among all Atlantic 10 women's basketball players through her eight games played, while totaling the fourth-best average of 9.0 per game, and leads the league in offensive boards with 36 while placing second in per-game average (4.5) ... Timbilla also stands in the top-20 for steals (5th; 19; 2.4 per game), blocked shots (13th; 8; 1.0 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (15th; 0.8).

UMass continues a four-game road trip on Wednesday, Dec. 5, facing Boston University in Case Gymnasium at 7 p.m.