SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Portland senior point guard Ahmed Ali has been named the University Credit Union (UCU) West Coast Conference Player of the Week after leading the Pilots to a thrilling overtime victory against Oregon State. Ali finished with 26 points, six rebounds, four assists and a steal in Portland's 87-86 overtime road win on Thursday night.
Ali also garnered the
Lou Henson Award as the National Player of the Week from CollegeInsider.com.
The Toronto, Ontario native played 39 minutes and hit numerous clutch shots to help the Pilots overcame a late deficit and pull it out in OT. His contested three-pointer at the end of the shot clock to give Portland an 86-82 lead iced the game with 14.0 seconds left.
Ali scored seven points in the extra session and finished the night 8-for-15 from the field, 4-of-8 from three-point range and made 6-of-7 free throws. He also gave the Pilots a boost going into half-time with a step-back 25-footer just before the buzzer to put Portland ahead 36-29.
Ali played the 2018-19 season at Washington State after earning JUCO All-America honors at Eastern Florida State College. He sat out last season at Hawaii before joining the Pilots this summer. Ali has recorded three 20-point games already this season – including a career-high 28 against Portland State – and has sparked Portland's four-game winning streak. His 21.4 points per game average currently ranks third in the WCC.
The Pilots will look to extend the winning streak when they host the College of Idaho on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
