Explosive MVC & OVC Performances

(St. Louis, MO) – There were dazzling performances this week by Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference players. One player’s near double-double allowed him to pull down two honors in one week and another athlete became the first three-time winner of a weekly award in either league.

Missouri Valley Conference

In Illinois State’s only game of the week, the Redbirds edged Mississippi 101-97. Though he fouled out and played less than 30 minutes in the overtime thriller, Milik Yarbrough was a dominant force in the upset win. His 25-point, ten-rebound, eight assist performance underscored what coach Dan Muller has been saying all year about the Saint Louis U transfer. ‘He’s unstoppable!’

Yarbrough is the Valley’s ‘Player of the Week‘ AND the ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. He’s the first MVC performer to sweep the weekly awards since Landry Shamet turned the trick last February.

Ohio Valley Conference

Terry Taylor became the first Austin Peay player in almost 20 years to score 30 points when he dropped that total in a game against Evansville. The 6’5 freshman grabbed six rebounds and blocked three shots in the Governors’ overtime loss to the Purple Aces and is this week’s ‘Freshman of the Week‘. It is the third time Taylor has captured the honor and the fourth time a Governor has been given that notoriety.

Preseason all-OVC forward Amanze Egekeze had a breakout week for the Belmont Bruins. He averaged 26.5 points-per-game as Belmont swept their two games. This week’s ‘Player of the Week‘ recorded a double-double (32 points and 11 rebounds) in a win over Milwaukee. While scoring 21 points against Pepperdine, Egekeze joined Belmont’s 1,000-point club. His 18.3 points-per-game scoring average is the OVC’s second best average.

A pair of 17 point/seven rebound performances in two Morehead State victories earned Londell King this week’s OVC ‘Newcomer of the Week‘. The Gulf Coast State transfer shot better than 73% from the field and made 10 of eleven free throws during his work week.