Titles And Final Week Awards

(St. Louis, MO) – Missouri Valley and Ohio Valley Conference teams wrapped up their seasons on Saturday, and Monday the two leagues announced their final weekly award winners.

Wichita State and Illinois State tied for the MVC regular season title, while Belmont ran away with the OVC crown. The three teams lost a combined three games, as they were the clear cut class of their conferences.

Ohio Valley Conference

Jacolby Mobley earned his second ‘Player of the Week’ award after scoring 61 points as UT Martin (20-11, 10-6) closed the season with two victories and a West Division title. Mobley leads the OVC in 3-pointers per game (3.3) and was named to the VHI – All OVC Team.

Claiming his second ‘Newcomer of the Week’ award was Jacksonville State’s 7’ Norbertas Giga. The Lithuanian center averaged ten points and 11 rebounds as the Gamecocks split a pair of games, and earning the fourth seed in this week’s OVC Tournament. Under first year head coach Ray Harper, JSU has returned to Music City Madness for the first time since 2012.

Eastern Kentucky guard Asante Gist probably wrapped up the OVC’s ‘Freshman of the Year’ award, by winning his seventh weekly honor. The New Jersey native scored 38 points and handed out 11 assists in the Colonels’ two season-ending victories. EKU (12-19, 5-11) did not qualify for the conference tournament.

Missouri Valley Conference

Landry Shamet just keeps getting better, and Monday he was named both the ‘Newcomer of the Week’ and the ‘Player of the Week’. It was the fifth time this season that a newcomer has swept the weekly awards. In Sunday’s conference title-sharing win, Shamet recorded career highs in points (23) and rebounds (8). Recently named to the VHI – All Valley Team, the 6’4 freshman handed out eight assists against just one turnover in two Shocker victories.

Head coach Gregg Marshall says after he moved Shamet to point-guard, he has been arguably the best player in the MVC.

 

 

Shamet and the Shockers (27-4, 17-1) play Friday night at 6 pm against the winner of Thursday’s game between Bradley and Drake.

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