PHILADELPHIA - La Salle's Alicia Cropper was named this week's Philadelphia Big 5 Player of the Week, announced Monday afternoon.

Cropper, a 5'8 guard from Brooklyn, earned her first career Big 5 nod after a career performance in the Explorers' upset over VCU last week. She drained a career-best 23 points, obliterating her previous career record of 17, as the squad handed VCU just its second loss of the season in a 63-58 decision. She went 4-for-8 from long range.

Cropper added nine points in the Explorers' 78-41 rout of Massachusetts on Saturday, while dishing out six of the team's season-high 23 assists. The 37-point margin of victory was the largest since the 1997-98 season.

On the week, she added 4.5 rebounds per game as well.

Cropper is averaging 12.2 ppg on the season, second on the squad. She is leading a team that is out to a school record 4-0 start since joining the Atlantic 10 in 1995-96 and has won six of its last seven games dating back to Dec. 21.