WAC TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES
Bakersfield Roadrunners (9-13, 2-6 WAC)
Bakersfield narrowly missed an upset bid at New Mexico State but a late turnover led them to their fourth WAC loss by less-than-four points on Thursday ... the Roadrunners bounced back on Saturday night, winning 72-64 at UT Pan American Saturday night ... Issiah Grayson led CSUB in both games, scoring 20 at NM State and 27 at Pan American while shooting over 70 percent from the field in the week (16-22) and 80 percent from three-point range (4-5) ... Grayson also had six steals on the week ... Bakersfield balanced out the scoring as well with a total of six different players posting double-digits in the week ... Kregg Jones also scored a career-high 13 points off the bench at NM State and added six at UTPA on 3-4 shooting ... Bakersfield travels to Phoenix to take on Grand Canyon on Saturday in the team;s lone contest of the week.
Chicago State Cougars (9-12, 4-3 WAC)
Chicago State dropped a 76-75 decision to Grand Canyon at home in the team’s lone game last week ... Chicago State limited Grand Canyon to only five field goals in the second half but still took the loss ... Chicago State fell behind by as many as 17 points in the opening half before trailing the ‘Lopes 49-36 at the break ... a swarming second half defensive effort limited GCU to 5-of-22 shooting in the final 20 minutes but the ‘Lopes shot 16-of-28 from the free throw line to squeak out the victory ... Rosenberg fouled out on an offensive foul in the middle of the run ... Rosenberg led the Cougars with 25 points ... Matt Ross recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds ... Chicago State takes more than a week off before hosting Kansas City on Saturday (Feb. 8).
Grand Canyon Antelopes (11-10, 6-2 WAC)
Grand Canyon went a perfect 2-0 on the road last week ... the ‘Lopes defeated Chicago State 76-75 before taking down Kansas City 72-53 ... in the win at CSU, Killian Larson led the ‘Lopes efforts with 28 points and a career-best 20 rebounds for his 14th double-double of the season ... Jerome Garrison added 17 points ... it was the ninth time this season that the ‘Lopes have held their opposition to 40.0 percent or less from the field ... at UMKC, the Antelopes posted their sixth double-digit effort from beyond the three-point line after draining 13 in the game ... Garrison was the high-scorer for GCU with 20 points, while Daniel Alexander (17), Blake Davis (12), and Justin Foreman (10) also scored in double-figures ... the ‘Lopes now return home for a pair of games as they embark on the second half of conference play, beginning with a 7 p.m. contest against WAC-leader Utah Valley on Thursday.
Idaho Vandals (8-14, 2-6 WAC)
Idaho senior Stephen Madison poured in 27 points and added seven rebounds, four steals and two assists, but it wasn’t quite enough to overcome Seattle U’s 23-2 second-half run in a 68-67 loss in the Cowan Spectrum on Saturday night in the team’s lone game last week ... the Vandals led 49-33 with just over 14 minutes to play when the Redhawks began their run ... Seattle U took a 52-51 lead with 9:30 left in the game and built that to 56-51 with 6:41 left before the Vandals snapped out of it ... Hill finished with 12 points for Idaho and Mike Scott added 10 points, five rebounds and two assists. Sekou Wiggs had seven points and three assists in the game ... Idaho shot 45.5 percent from the field in the game but the Redhawks connected on 50 percent of their shots, and 64 percent in the second half ... UI returns to action with a pair of home games next week against NM State and Texas-Pan Americands.
Kansas City Kangaroos (7-14, 4-4 WAC)
Kansas City went 0-2 last week ... the Kangaroos dropped a non-conference game at Southeast Missouri State, 91-81 ... the ‘Roos then lost a 72-53 contest at home against Grand Canyon ... in the loss at SE Missouri State, the ‘Roos were paced by Caleb Johnson, who set a career-high with 15 points, the second time in three games he raised his high ... four others finished in double figures with Harrison tallying 14, Frank Williams scoring 12, Nelson Kirksey putting up 11 and Trinity Hall with 11. Chatmon also had 10 rebounds ... in the loss to Grand Canyon, Martez Harrison led the ‘Roos with 17 points, while Kirksey was the only other in double figures with 11 on the night ... the ‘Lopes were led by Garrison with 20, while Daniel Alexander tallied 17 points ... the ‘Roos are back on the road for the next three games, starting with Chicago State next Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
New Mexico State Aggies (17-7, 6-2 WAC)
New Mexico State went a perfect 2-0 at home last week ... the Aggies defeated Bakersfield 89-86 before taking down WAC leader Utah Valley 72-49 ... in the win over Bakersfield, Daniel Mullings led the Aggies with 19 points, including four points in the final two minutes ... Tshilidzi Nephawe added 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds, missing his seventh double-double of the season by one rebound ... Sim Bhullar made his first appearance in WAC play after missing six games with a foot injury and his presence was important, finishing with 13 points and six blocks on the night ... in the win over UVU, Mullings once again led the Aggie charge with a game-high 21 points while also tying for the NM State lead in rebounds with eight in the game ... Renaldo Dixon also had eight boards and also added eight points ... NM State now hits the road to take on Idaho and Seattle U this week.
Seattle U Redhawks (10-10, 2-5 WAC)
Seattle U snapped a three-game overall losing streak and a five-game losing skid against Idaho with a thrilling 68-67 comeback victory over the Vandals in Moscow, Idaho Saturday night ... the Redhawks were down 49-33 before putting together a 23-2 scoring run to pull ahead, 56-51 ... Idaho raced back, taking a four-point lead with 14 seconds remaining in regulation before five unanswered points by redshirt freshman Manny Chibuogwu gave the Redhawks the victory ... it is the fourth time this season that Seattle U has won a game after going into halftime behind its opponent ... Jarell Flora led Seattle U with 16 points ... D’Vonne Pickett Jr. played the entire second half, finishing with 15 points, five assists, a blocked shot, and the steal on Idaho’s final possession ... Seattle U plays five of its next seven games at home, starting this weekend with contests against Texas-Pan American (Feb. 6) and New Mexico State (Feb. 8).
Texas-Pan American Broncs (6-17, 2-6 WAC)
Texas-Pan American went 0-2 last week ... the Broncs dropped a 67-53 decision to league leader Utah Valley before falling 72-64 to Bakersfield ... in the loss to Utah Valley, Shaquille Boga led the Broncs with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, including 3-of-5 from behind the arc, with four assists and two steals ... Shaquille Hines also reached double-figures with 12 points, on 6-of-10 shooting, and six rebounds ... against Bakersfield, Hines led four Broncs in double-figures scoring by recording his second double-double with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting with a career-high tying 11 rebounds (four offensive), a career-high five assists, two blocks and a season-high tying two steals ... the Broncs are back in action on Thursday 9 p.m. when they visit Seattle U.
Utah Valley Wolverines (13-8, 7-1 WAC)
Utah Valley opened last week with a 67-53 win at Texas-Pan American to move to 7-0 in the WAC before suffering its first defeat in league play at New Mexico State on Saturday, 72-49 ... despite the loss the Wolverines still sit atop the WAC standings, one game in front of NM State and Grand Canyon, this week’s opponent for UVU ... in the win over UTPA, Mitch Bruneel scored 16 points and Holton Hunsaker added 15. Keawe Enos scored 14 points and hit all four of his attempts from three in the win ... against, New Mexico State the Wolverines trailed by five at the half but couldn’t overcome a 57 percent night from the floor from the Aggies ... Hunsaker led UVU with 15 points, scoring 13 before halftime ... Utah Valley travels to play Grand Canyon on Thursday.
WAC NOTES
NM STATE’S MULLINGS NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
New Mexico State’s Daniel Mullings has been named Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 27-Feb. 2.
Mullings, a junior guard from Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Laurier HS), averaged 20.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in two wins last week to help the Aggies hold on to a tie for second place in the WAC standings. He was also a perfect 20-for-20 from the charity stripe. In an 89-86 victory over Bakersfield, Mullings led the Aggies with 19 points, including four points in the final two minutes of the game, to go along with six rebounds and two assists. He followed it up with a game-high 21 points while also tying for the New Mexico State lead in rebounds with eight in a blowout win over Utah Valley, which entered the game on an eight-game winning streak and was undefeated in WAC play.
Mullings is averaging 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.0 steals per game this season. He is shooting 45.4 percent from the field and 74.1 percent from the free throw line this year.
Other nominees included: Bakersfield senior guard Issiah Grayson averaged 23.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week … Chicago State junior guard Clarke Rosenberg finished with 25 points and six assists in a one-point loss to Grand Canyon … Grand Canyon senior guard Killian Larson averaged 17.5 points and 12.5 rebounds as the Antelopes went 2-0 on the week … Idaho senior forward Stephen Madison finished with 27 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in a one-point loss to Seattle U … Kansas City freshman guard Martez Harrison averaged 15.5 points and 3.5 assists in a pair of games … Seattle U freshman guard Emmanuel Chibuogwu finished with a career-high 10 points, including the game-winner, for the Redhawks in a win over Idaho … Texas-Pan American junior guard Shaquille Hines averaged 13.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks over two games … Utah Valley senior guard Holton Hunsaker averaged 15.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
UTAH VALLEY HOLDS ONE-GAME LEAD IN WAC STANDINGS
Heading into the sixth week of WAC play this week, Utah Valley now holds just a one-game lead in the WAC standings. The Wolverines sit atop the league’s standings with a 7-1 mark after splitting a pair of road games last week. Four of Utah Valley’s six wins have been on the road. There is a tie for second place between New Mexico State and Grand Canyon, who each hold 6-2 marks in league play. NM State defeated Bakersfield and Utah Valley at home last week, while Grand Canyon won a pair of road games over Chicago State and Kansas City.
NEW MEXICO STATE RANKED NO. 8 IN COLLEGEINSIDER.COM MID-MAJOR POLL
After a pair of wins at home last week, including a 72-49 win over WAC leader Utah Valley, New Mexico State moved up seven spots to No. 8 in the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 Poll. The Aggies received 517 points and are sandwiched between Indiana State at No. 7 and North Dakota State at No. 9.
HOME SWEET HOME
The WAC holds a 35-15 record in non-conference games played at home this season, an 70.0 winning percentage at home. Grand Canyon went undefeated at home this season in non-league play with a 3-0 mark. Chicago State went 5-1 in its friendly confines. New Mexico State, Seattle U and Utah Valley each went 6-1 at home, while Bakersfield was impressive at 4-1. The road was not so nice to the WAC as the league’s teams hold a 13-47 non-league mark away from home.
UVU’S HUNSAKER NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
For the second year in a row, Utah Valley point guard Holton Hunsaker has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 Men’s Basketball team and is now eligible for Academic All-America® Team.The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the teams on Thursday. District 8 is represented by student athletes from schools in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Hunsaker is an accounting major and has a 3.88 cumulative GPA. His list of honors received during his career at UVU also include being named the 2012-13 Great West Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year and a two-time academic all-conference honoree. He will make it a three-time honor when the WAC announces its all-academic team following the school year. As a junior, he was also named to the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar Athlete Team as well as earning first-team All-Great West Conference. Over the summer, Hunsaker interned in Washington, D.C. for Utah Senator Orrin Hatch. On the court, he is leading Utah Valley with an average of 12.1 points per game and also leads the WAC with a 4.2 assist average.