OVC/MVC Super Performances

(St. Louis, MO) – All the Ohio Valley and Missouri Valley Conference teams have four remaining games and last week there were some great performances in the ‘Deux Vallee’. One newcomer is emerging in the MVC and a freshman is strutting his stuff in the OVC.

Missouri Valley Conference

Alize Johnson helped Missouri State turn a five game losing streak into a pair of wins last week. The ‘Preseason Player of the Year‘ averaged 19.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 6 assists, while recording his 17th double-double of the season. Monday, Johnson, the league’s leading rebounder, received his third ‘Player of the Week‘ award.

Southern Illinois’ Kavion Pippen is emerging as the chief rival to Illinois State’s Milik Yarbrough as the Valley’s ‘Newcomer of the Year‘ by receiving his second straight (fourth overall) ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ award. Pippen averaged 17.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in the Salukis two-game split. Yarbrough has also collected four of the weekly awards.

Ohio Valley Conference

There is a two player battle raging for the ‘Freshman of the Year‘ award in the OVC. Austin Peay’s Terry Taylor has won the weekly freshman commendation five times and this week Murray State’s Ja Morant collected his third. Morant came within two assists of averaging a triple-double for the week (10.5 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists per game) and earned the OVC’s ‘Freshman of the Week‘ title. Morant is second to Belmont’s Austin Luke in the OVC assist race at 6.5 per game.

Preseason all OVC player Nick Mayo picked up his second ‘Player of the Week‘ award. The Eastern Kentucky junior recorded a career-high 36-point performance against UT Martin and followed that with an 18 point game against Morehead State. Mayo leads the OVC in 3-point percentage (.486) and is third in scoring at 17.1 points per game.

Mayo shares the weekly award with Southeast Missouri’s Denzel Mahoney. The reigning ‘Freshman of the Year‘ averaged 21 points per game during the Redhawks’ two game sweep. Mahoney, the ‘Co-Player of the Week‘ is second in the OVC in both scoring and 3-point percentage.

This week’s ‘Newcomer‘ award is shared by two first-time winners.

Tennessee State has won six straight games and one of the contributors to that streak is sophomore Kamar McKnight. The 6’4 Georgia Highlands transfer averaged 12 points in the Tigers’ upset wins over defending conference champion Belmont and defending tournament champion Jacksonville State. McKnight is ‘Co-Newcomer of the Week‘.

Moberly Area College transfer Delfincko Bogan averaged 15.5 points and six assists for UT Martin. The 6’ junior sparked the Skyhawks to a win over Eastern Kentucky with a 19 point performance. The ‘Co-Newcomer of the Week‘ leads the OVC in steals.