Oparah makes first team

UCI senior women’s basketball forward Cindy Oparah has been named

first-team All-Big West Conference for the second consecutive year.

She joins former UCI standouts Cheri Graham, Allah-mi Basheer and

Leticia Oseguera as the program’s only back-to-back first-team honorees.

Oparah led UCI, averaging 15.5 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. She

was the only UCI player named all-conference.

UCI faces No. 2-seeded UC Riverside in the first round of the Big West

Tournament Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Kayte Christensen of UC Santa Barbara is the Player of the Year and

teammate Kristen Mann is Freshman of the Year.

Jennifer Young of UC Riverside is the Coach of the Year.