DENVER - Seattle U senior guard Isiah Umipig has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 12-18. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the fourth of his career.
The Federal Way, Wash., native averaged 17.5 points on 57.1 percent shooting from the floor and 56.3 percent shooting from three-point range to go along with 3.0 assists and a 6.0 assist-turnover ratio in a pair of WAC wins last week. Thursday night against Texas-Pan American, Umipig hit seven three-pointers on his way to a 28-point performance in a convincing victory over the Broncs. With the Redhawks ahead by just five points at halftime, he scored eight of Seattle U's first 10 points of the second half to lead the Redhawks to a double-digit lead. On Saturday against New Mexico State, Umipig scored just seven points, but they came at two key points in the game. He converted on a four-point play to give the Redhawks the lead in the first half, and then his three-pointer with 4:32 remaining in regulation stopped a 9-0 Aggie run that had cut the Seattle U lead from 10 down to one. He also dished out four assists while committing just one turnover. Umipig remains second in Division I in made three-pointers per game (4.12), third in total made three-pointers (70) and 12th in three-point field goal percentage (46.4 percent).
Other nominees included: Bakersfield's Kevin Mays averaged 15.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week ... Trayvon Palmer of Chicago State finished with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and three steals in a two-point loss to UMKC ... Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell finished with 24 points, five rebounds and four assists in a win over Utah Valley ... Martez Harrison of Missouri-Kansas City finished with 24 points, four rebounds, one assist and one steal in a win over the Cougars ... New Mexico State's Pascal Siakam averaged 14.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks as the Aggies went 1-1 on the week ... Dan Kimasa of Texas-Pan American averaged 10.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks over three games last week ... Utah Valley's Zach Nelson finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a block in a loss to Grand Canyon.