Portia Velasco (Carondelet/Vallejo, CA) of the St. John Fisher College women’s basketball team has been named the College’s Female Athlete of the Week for the week ending November 18, 2012.
Although the Cardinals were unable to claim a victory in the season-opening University of Rochester tournament, Velasco did all she could to seal two comebacks which fell just short.
Despite the outcome, Velasco was named to the All-Tournament team for her performances throughout the two games.
On Friday, Fisher faced the University of Scranton in the season opener. Velasco led all scorers in the game with 20 points, 11 of which came in the second half. She also added four assists, two rebounds, and two steals. Despite the sophomore point guard’s efforts, a 12-point run by Scranton over a five-minute span in the second half prove too much for the Cardinals to overcome, falling by a final score of 65-58.
On Saturday, the Cardinals took on the Saints of St. Lawrence University in the consolation matchup of the tournament. Velasco once again led the team with 23 points, also contributing four steals, three assists, and two boards. She hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining on the clock to bring the score within one, but St. Lawrence free throws would seal an 80-77 win.
Fisher will return to action at 6 p.m. on Tuesday night when they travel to face the Medaille College Mavericks.
