ORLANDO, Fla. -
Sydney Gomes, a senior from Ponte Vedra, Fla., and a member of the Florida Southern College women's basketball team, has been named the Sunshine State Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the first SSC women's basketball weekly honors.
Gomes was the engine behind FSC's dominant conference opening weekend. On Wednesday at Saint Leo, she scored 18 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, added 6 assists and 5 steals, anchoring both offense and defense in a 96-63 conference-opening win. On Saturday against Rollins, she exploded for 21 points (6-10 from 3-point range), pulled down a team-leading 18 rebounds (career-high) and the most rebounds since 2011-12, which was also broken earlier this year for a huge double-double, and also added in 4 assists to go along with 3 steals. Across those two games, she averaged 19.5 points, 13.5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Her scoring efficiency, rebounding effort, and facilitating ability led the Mocs to their first 2-0 start in conference play since 2019-2020.
Gomes leads the SSC for the week in boards, totaling 27 (13.5 rpg) and defensively with 22 (11 rpg). She is also tied for second in the SSC in steals with eight to average four a game.
This marks her first Defensive Player of the Week honor in her career, and third SSC Player of the Week honor in her career earning her first back on November 25, 2024 with a triple double against PBA and finished the week with 38 points (19 ppg), 18 rebounds (9 rbg), 13 assists, and two steals in 68 minutes of action. Gomes shot 40% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc, and 76% from the free throw line. And second, earlier this year in the first games of the season, dishing out 31 points against UAH, another career-high in the SSC/GSC Crossover, she shot 12 for 24 from the field and knocked down three 3's to power Florida Southern to victory over UAH.
Gomes and the rest of the Mocs will travel to Boca Raton to continue conference action after a week off on December 13. The tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
