The Mid-American Conference today announced its Basketball Players of the Week
This week’s East Division honoree is: Justin Turner (Bowling Green)
The week’s West Division honoree is: Jaelan Sanford (Toledo)
(Click Read More for details on both honorees, as well as other nominees . . . )
This week’s East Division honoree is: Justin Turner (Bowling Green)
The week’s West Division honoree is: Jaelan Sanford (Toledo)
(Click Read More for details on both honorees, as well as other nominees . . . )
MAC East Division Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Justin Turner, Bowling Green
Guard, Redshirt-Freshman, Detroit, Mich. (Renaissance)
Justin Turner, a redshirt-freshman guard from Detroit, posted one of the best games in school history, as he led Bowling Green to a 79-68 victory at Drexel on Friday (Nov. 10) night in the program’s season opener. Turner posted 33 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block. Turner, who went 12-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from downtown, scored 19 second-half points to help Bowling Green erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Turner’s 33 points are the most from a Falcon since Spencer Parker scored 33 at Detroit Mercy on Dec. 12, 2015. Additionally, no other Falcon freshman this millennium has scored more in a single game than Turner’s 33 points.
MAC West Division Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Jaelan Sanford, Toledo
Guard, Junior, Evansville, Ind. (Reitz)
Jaelan Sanford set career highs with 31 points and eight assists on Saturday evening to propel Toledo to an exciting 98-87 triumph over Atlantic 10 Conference foe Saint Joseph's in the season opener for both teams. Sanford was extremely efficient, hitting 11-of-16 shots (4-of-6 from three-point range), 5-of-6 free throws and playing turnover-free in 39 minutes. Sanford also was equally effective in the first half and second half, scoring 16 points in the opening 20 minutes and 15 following intermission.
Justin Turner, Bowling Green
Guard, Redshirt-Freshman, Detroit, Mich. (Renaissance)
Justin Turner, a redshirt-freshman guard from Detroit, posted one of the best games in school history, as he led Bowling Green to a 79-68 victory at Drexel on Friday (Nov. 10) night in the program’s season opener. Turner posted 33 points, seven assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block. Turner, who went 12-for-19 from the field and 4-for-7 from downtown, scored 19 second-half points to help Bowling Green erase a 10-point halftime deficit. Turner’s 33 points are the most from a Falcon since Spencer Parker scored 33 at Detroit Mercy on Dec. 12, 2015. Additionally, no other Falcon freshman this millennium has scored more in a single game than Turner’s 33 points.
MAC West Division Men’s Basketball Player of the Week
Jaelan Sanford, Toledo
Guard, Junior, Evansville, Ind. (Reitz)
Jaelan Sanford set career highs with 31 points and eight assists on Saturday evening to propel Toledo to an exciting 98-87 triumph over Atlantic 10 Conference foe Saint Joseph's in the season opener for both teams. Sanford was extremely efficient, hitting 11-of-16 shots (4-of-6 from three-point range), 5-of-6 free throws and playing turnover-free in 39 minutes. Sanford also was equally effective in the first half and second half, scoring 16 points in the opening 20 minutes and 15 following intermission.
Other Nominees
Daniel Utomi, Akron
Guard, Sophomore, Houston, Tex. (Westside)
The Akron Zips opened the 2017-18 season with a win behind the stellar performance of sophomore Daniel Utomi. Utomi paced the Zips with a career-high 20 points and nearly notched a double-double with eight rebounds. Utomi shot 41.1 percent from the floor (7-of-17) and knocked down four 3-pointers in 34 minutes of action. He also added a blocked shot. The win also gave first-year head coach John Groce his first win at Akron, marking the first time an Akron head coach debuted with a win since Bob Huggins in 1985.
Tayler Persons, Ball State
Guard, Junior, Kokomo, Ind. (Kokomo)
Persons scored all 14 of his points in the second half Friday to lead Ball State to the brink of victory at Dayton. His driving lay-in with three seconds left gave the Cardinals a one-point lead before Dayton escaped on a buzzer beater. Persons handed out eight assists in the game and turned the ball over only one time. The preseason All-MAC pick helped Ball State overcome a 14-0 deficit early in the game to take a seven-point lead in the second half against the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference regular season champions. He scored or assisted on the Cardinals' final 11 points of the game.
Nick Perkins, Buffalo
Forward, Junior, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Milan)
Junior Nick Perkins had a career-high 26 points as he led the Bulls to an 80-75 win over Canisius on Saturday afternoon in the season-opener for both teams. Perkins went 9-of-17 from the floor, while tying his career high with 3 three-pointers. Perkins also added six rebounds and a blocked shot. He went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The 2016-17 MAC Sixth Man of the Year, Perkins was also outstanding on the defensive end as he held the returning leading scorer from Canisius, Jermaine Crumption, to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Cecil Williams, Central Michigan
Forward, Senior, Columbia, Mo.
Senior forward Cecil Williams notched his second career double-double in leading Central Michigan to a season-opening 108-48 rout of Siena Heights on Friday. In 24 minutes of court time, Williams posted a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 (.643) shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, including a game-high eight on the defensive end. Williams also set a career-best with five steals in addition to totaling three assists and one block.
Elijah Minnie, Eastern Michigan
Forward, Redshirt-Junior, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Lincoln Park)
Elijah Minnie made an impressive debut over the weekend, averaging 24.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in Eastern Michigan's two wins. The redshirt-junior shot 17-of-27 (.630) from the field, 4-of-11 (.364) from downtown, and a perfect 11-of-11 (1.000) from the charity stripe, and scored a career-high 27 points in the Eagle's 24-point win over Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 12.
Adonis De La Rosa, Kent State
Center, Junior, Bronx, NY
Adonis De La Rosa was near perfect in his season debut, leading the team in scoring and rebounding despite only logging 13 minutes. De La Rosa scored 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting, leading the Flashes to a 33 point victory on a neutral court. His eight rebounds helped create second chance points, as five came on the offensive end. De La Rosa's most crucial run came at the start of the second half, when three straight buckets in the paint started the Flashes's game sealing run. He logged a 159 offensive rating according to KenPom.com, the highest mark in the MAC East among double digit scorers.
Jalen Adaway, Miami
Guard, Freshman, Logansport, Indiana (Logansport)
Adaway recorded a double-double in his debut game for Miami, leading the RedHawks to a come-from-behind 55-54 win over Fordham. That included hitting the game winning layup with four seconds left as Miami overcame a 12-point second half deficit and a six-point deficit over the last 2:10. Adaway was the main catalyst for the comeback, scoring six straight points after the Red and White fell behind 40-28 midway through the second half.
Teyvion Kirk, Ohio
Guard, Freshman, Joliet, Ill. (West Joliet)
Behind a game-high 16 points from freshman guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.), the Ohio men's basketball team (1-0) defeated Alabama A&M (0-1), 61-53, in the 2017-18 regular season opener on Saturday (Nov. 11) at the Convocation Center. In his debut for the Bobcats, Kirk also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal over 32 minutes in his first career start. Ohio won its season opener for the 14th year in a row and improved to 8-0 all-time against opponents out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference -- including 6-0 under fourth-year head coach Saul Phillips. The Bobcats held the Bulldogs to a 33.9 percent (21-of-62) field goal percentage -- including just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from beyond the arc. Ohio forced Alabama A&M to commit 24 turnovers and blocked six shots.
Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Montgomery, Ill.
Had a game-high 16 points against Siena Heights ... It was Wider's 68th double digit performance in 99 career games ... Wilder has now led WMU in scoring in 36 of his 99 career games played ... Wilder recorded a stat-line of 16 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in just 23 minutes of play ... helped the Broncos win their fourth season-opener in five years.
Daniel Utomi, Akron
Guard, Sophomore, Houston, Tex. (Westside)
The Akron Zips opened the 2017-18 season with a win behind the stellar performance of sophomore Daniel Utomi. Utomi paced the Zips with a career-high 20 points and nearly notched a double-double with eight rebounds. Utomi shot 41.1 percent from the floor (7-of-17) and knocked down four 3-pointers in 34 minutes of action. He also added a blocked shot. The win also gave first-year head coach John Groce his first win at Akron, marking the first time an Akron head coach debuted with a win since Bob Huggins in 1985.
Tayler Persons, Ball State
Guard, Junior, Kokomo, Ind. (Kokomo)
Persons scored all 14 of his points in the second half Friday to lead Ball State to the brink of victory at Dayton. His driving lay-in with three seconds left gave the Cardinals a one-point lead before Dayton escaped on a buzzer beater. Persons handed out eight assists in the game and turned the ball over only one time. The preseason All-MAC pick helped Ball State overcome a 14-0 deficit early in the game to take a seven-point lead in the second half against the reigning Atlantic 10 Conference regular season champions. He scored or assisted on the Cardinals' final 11 points of the game.
Nick Perkins, Buffalo
Forward, Junior, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Milan)
Junior Nick Perkins had a career-high 26 points as he led the Bulls to an 80-75 win over Canisius on Saturday afternoon in the season-opener for both teams. Perkins went 9-of-17 from the floor, while tying his career high with 3 three-pointers. Perkins also added six rebounds and a blocked shot. He went 5-of-6 from the free throw line. The 2016-17 MAC Sixth Man of the Year, Perkins was also outstanding on the defensive end as he held the returning leading scorer from Canisius, Jermaine Crumption, to just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting.
Cecil Williams, Central Michigan
Forward, Senior, Columbia, Mo.
Senior forward Cecil Williams notched his second career double-double in leading Central Michigan to a season-opening 108-48 rout of Siena Heights on Friday. In 24 minutes of court time, Williams posted a career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 (.643) shooting to go along with 11 rebounds, including a game-high eight on the defensive end. Williams also set a career-best with five steals in addition to totaling three assists and one block.
Elijah Minnie, Eastern Michigan
Forward, Redshirt-Junior, Pittsburgh, Pa. (Lincoln Park)
Elijah Minnie made an impressive debut over the weekend, averaging 24.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in Eastern Michigan's two wins. The redshirt-junior shot 17-of-27 (.630) from the field, 4-of-11 (.364) from downtown, and a perfect 11-of-11 (1.000) from the charity stripe, and scored a career-high 27 points in the Eagle's 24-point win over Michigan-Dearborn, Nov. 12.
Adonis De La Rosa, Kent State
Center, Junior, Bronx, NY
Adonis De La Rosa was near perfect in his season debut, leading the team in scoring and rebounding despite only logging 13 minutes. De La Rosa scored 20 points on 9-for-10 shooting, leading the Flashes to a 33 point victory on a neutral court. His eight rebounds helped create second chance points, as five came on the offensive end. De La Rosa's most crucial run came at the start of the second half, when three straight buckets in the paint started the Flashes's game sealing run. He logged a 159 offensive rating according to KenPom.com, the highest mark in the MAC East among double digit scorers.
Jalen Adaway, Miami
Guard, Freshman, Logansport, Indiana (Logansport)
Adaway recorded a double-double in his debut game for Miami, leading the RedHawks to a come-from-behind 55-54 win over Fordham. That included hitting the game winning layup with four seconds left as Miami overcame a 12-point second half deficit and a six-point deficit over the last 2:10. Adaway was the main catalyst for the comeback, scoring six straight points after the Red and White fell behind 40-28 midway through the second half.
Teyvion Kirk, Ohio
Guard, Freshman, Joliet, Ill. (West Joliet)
Behind a game-high 16 points from freshman guard Teyvion Kirk (Joliet, Ill.), the Ohio men's basketball team (1-0) defeated Alabama A&M (0-1), 61-53, in the 2017-18 regular season opener on Saturday (Nov. 11) at the Convocation Center. In his debut for the Bobcats, Kirk also added four rebounds, two assists and a steal over 32 minutes in his first career start. Ohio won its season opener for the 14th year in a row and improved to 8-0 all-time against opponents out of the Southwestern Athletic Conference -- including 6-0 under fourth-year head coach Saul Phillips. The Bobcats held the Bulldogs to a 33.9 percent (21-of-62) field goal percentage -- including just 21.1 percent (4-of-19) from beyond the arc. Ohio forced Alabama A&M to commit 24 turnovers and blocked six shots.
Thomas Wilder, Western Michigan
Guard, Senior, Montgomery, Ill.
Had a game-high 16 points against Siena Heights ... It was Wider's 68th double digit performance in 99 career games ... Wilder has now led WMU in scoring in 36 of his 99 career games played ... Wilder recorded a stat-line of 16 points, 6 assists and 2 rebounds in just 23 minutes of play ... helped the Broncos win their fourth season-opener in five years.
RSS Feed