Dominating Players Repeat As Award Winners

(St. Louis, MO) – A successful weekend for Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference teams also witnessed two players taking a stranglehold on MVC and OVC awards.

Valley teams won six of ten games this weekend, including five of nine in the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Conference Challenge. OVC squads won eight of 12 weekend contests.

Missouri Valley Conference

Senior Paris Lee sparked Illinois State to a pair of victories while averaging 18 points, 5.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. In ISU’s win over New Mexico, the Maywood, Illinois native handed out a career high 11 assists. For his efforts Lee, was named the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week’.

Loyola’s Aundre Jackson won his third straight ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award Monday. The McLennan Community College transfer averaged 21.5 points per game in the Ramblers’ two victories. In Loyola’s win over San Diego State, Jackson scored 24 points while making 11 of 12 shots. For the season, Jackson is fifth in the nation in shooting percentage (.747).

Ohio Valley Conference

Preseason Player of the Year, Evan Bradds is this week’s ‘Player of the Week’ winner. After missing a game with a concussion, the Belmont senior returned to the lineup with a vengeance. The 6’7 forward led the Bruins to two victories while averaging 24 points, ten rebounds and 5.5 assists. It is the first weekly award this season for the league’s second leading scorer.

When Asante Gist signed with Eastern Kentucky there was great celebration on Colonel Country. The New Jersey native was one of the top rated players in the Garden State and this week wins the OVC’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ award. Gist averaged 16 points, five rebounds and 3.5 assists as EKU swept two Conference USA teams. Gist is the league’s highest scoring freshman (12.8 ppg).

We may start calling the OVC’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award the ‘Jonathan Stark Invitational’. The 6’ Murray State junior has won all four weekly awards. Stark averaged 28 points and 6.5 assists during the Racers’ split of two games. The Munford, Tennessee native was particularly special from the free throw line, making 16 of 17 charity tosses. Stark is 15^th nationally and number one in the OVC scoring race.

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