• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Jan. 5, 2009

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane freshman center Brett Benzio was named Conference USA Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week Monday, after turning in a pair of double-double performances. The 6-3 native of Palm City, Florida, leads all freshman in rebounding this season with 10.2 boards per game.

Benzio averaged 11.3 points per game, in three games, with 12.0 rebounds per contest. She also connected on 13-of-27 from the field (.481), blocked four shots and added six steals to go with three assists.

She opened the week with an 11-point, 13-rebound performance against USF on Tuesday. Against the nation's highest scoring team, Benzio blocked four shots by the Bulls and added two more steals. However, Tulane fell to South Florida, 80-66.

On Friday, she helped Tulane to a win in its Conference USA opener by scoring a career-high 19 points and tying her career best with 15 rebounds for her fifth career double-double in a 57-48 win over UTEP. She connected on eight-of-12 field goal attempts and picked up five offensive rebounds. She also picked up another two steals.

Sunday, the Green Wave faced No. 23 Georgia Tech and Benzio picked up eight rebounds to go with four points and two more steals in a week-low 28 minutes. She fought foul trouble as the Wave fell to the Yellow Jackets, 69-52.

For the season, Benzio is averaging 10.2 rebounds per game, which would be the highest single-season rebounding average in Tulane history, and tops among all Tulane freshmen. She ranks 21st in the NCAA in rebounding, fourth in C-USA, and is the top freshman rebounder in all of NCAA Division I.

She has more defensive rebounds than anyone in the conference (7.60 per game). Her scoring average of 9.3 points per game is 29th in C-USA, third on Tulane, and is fifth in C-USA in field goal percentage (.528). With 19 blocked shots, she ranks seventh in C-USA.

Benzio has recorded double-digit rebounds in eight of Tulane's 15 games, and double-figure scoring in five games.

The Green Wave (9-6) take on Houston on Friday at 7 p.m. at Fogelman Arena in a Conference USA match-up. Tulane will remain home to host Rice on Sunday at 2 p.m.