OVC Week Ten Award Winners

Competition Heating Up

(St. Louis, MO) – Week ten award winners put up some big Ohio Valley Conference performances. A Western Illinois freshman is running away with the rookie awards and three players are making their second appearances in these weekly honors.

There are huge standings-related showdowns later this week.

Week Ten Players of the Week

Lindenwood’s Keenon Cole erupted for a 42-point performance sparking the Lions to their first league win of the season and posting the highest point total by any OVC player this year and the largest in the Division 1 era of Lindenwood basketball. The men’s ‘Player of the Week’ followed up with 20 more points in the Lions’ second game of the week. This is Cole’s second weekly honor and the 6’7 senior is now the OVC’s second leading scorer (18.9 points-per-game).

Speaking of career high numbers, Tennessee State’s Sanaa’ St. Andre poured in 29 points during a Tiger victory. The woman’s ‘Player of the Week’ honor is her first of the season. The 5’8 senior is averaging 13.1 points and over two rebounds and two assists per game.

Newcomers of the Week

St. Andre is also the league’s ‘Newcomer of the Week’. The UMKC transfer is performing like she did in Kansas City and this is her second ‘Newcomer’ nod. Since opening the season with two, sub-ten-point games, the Louisiana native has racked up nine double digit performances in twelve games.

UT Martin’s Jacob Crews was a dominant Skyhawk force last week. The 6’8 forward averaged 28 points and 8.5 rebounds as UTM split a pair of games. After scoring 21 points in a loss to Western Illinois, he dropped 35 points on Little Rock. This is Crews’ second ‘Newcomer of the Week’ honor, joining Little Rock’s Jamir Chaplin with two honors. Morehead State’s Riley Minix has claimed three.

Week Ten Rookies

Three weekly honors is old hat for Western Illinois’ Raegan McCowan. The Lebanon, Missouri native has received seven ‘Freshman of the Week’ and one ‘Player’ recognition. McCowan averaged 16 points and four rebounds last week for the Leathernecks. She is the OVC’s leading freshman scorer (17.6 ppg).

McCowan shares the award with Southern Illinois Edwardsville’s Ava Stoller. The 5’6 guard picked up her first-ever double-double in a game against Morehead State. She recorded back-to-back double digit scoring games and grabbed a career high 12 boards against the Eagles.

Somebody named ‘Jaylen’ usually wins the men’s ‘Freshman of the Week’ award. Little Rock’s Jaylen Crocker-Johnson had won two straight and four overall and this week it’s Tennessee State’s Jaylen Jones’ turn. Jones now has four weekly mentions after a 12-point performance during a win over Lindenwood.

Only three other players have been given the rookie award as Jones and Crocker-Johnson have claimed eight of the ten honors.

Huge Games

League-leading Southern Indiana has two important home games this week. The Screaming Eagles’ women’s team (5-0) host both second place teams. Little Rock (4-1) comes calling on Thursday and Saturday it is Morehead State’s (4-1) chance to knock off first place USI.

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