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NM STATE'S BAKER NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NM State senior guard Ian Baker has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 5-11. This is his first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the second of his career.
The Washington, D.C., native willed the Aggies past instate rival New Mexico last Saturday, snapping a five-game losing skid as well as a nine-year drought against the Lobos in the Pan American Center. The 6-0 point guard finished with a career-high-tying 26 points, including four three-pointers, four steals, three rebounds and three assists in an 84-71 victory. He dropped 13 points in each half and hit 6-of-7 at the free throw line, including five in the second half. Baker helped NM State get out to an explosive start in the first half to head into the locker room with a 43-26 lead.
Other nominees included: Damiyne Durham of CSU Bakersfield averaged 18.0 points on 54.5 percent shooting, 1.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists as the Roadrunners went 2-0 last week ... Chicago State's Trayvon Palmer posted a pair of double-doubles and averaged 18.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a pair of losses ... DeWayne Russell of Grand Canyon averaged 19.5 points, 7.0 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals as the Lopes went 2-0 on the week ... UMKC's LaVell Boyd averaged 19.0 points, 4.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds as the Roos went 1-1 on the week ... Antonio Green of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 24.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists as the Vaqueros went 1-1 last week ... Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson averaged 22.0 points on 69.2 percent shooting, 14.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in a pair of losses last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (60.5), scoring margin (11.4), field goal percentage defense (37.2), rebounding defense (32.2), rebounding margin (5.6), steals (8.9) and turnover margin (2.36), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (83.2), rebounding (39.1), assists (16.78), assist-turnover ratio (1.19) and defensive rebounds (30.22). NM State leads the league in field goal percentage (46.6), three-point field goal percentage defense (30.6), blocks (4.4) and offensive rebounds (12.8), while UMKC is tops in three-point field goal percentage (41.7) and three-pointers per game (10.09) and Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (74.0).
Individually, Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in scoring (25.4), assist-turnover ratio (2.17) and minutes per game (37.57), while Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson is tops in rebounding (10.7), field goal percentage (62.2), blocked shots (1.67), offensive rebounds (3.56) and defensive rebounds (7.11).
Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph leads the league in assists (6.22), while teammate Kenneth Ogbe is tops in three-point percentage (63.9). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf leads the WAC in free throw percentage (96.4), Grand Canyon's Gerard Martin is tops in steals (1.89) and UT Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Green leads the league in three-pointers per game (4.33).
UTRGV ATTEMPTS MORE THREE-POINTERS THAN FIELD GOALS AGAINST TEXAS STATE
In a win over Texas State on Dec. 7, 27 of UT Rio Grande Valley's 53 shots (51 percent) were taken from behind the arc, marking the first time this season UTRGV has attempted more shots from outside than inside. The Vaqueros drained 13 long balls for a season-high .481 three-point percentage. It was the second-most three-pointers UTRGV has hit in a game this season and the most in a regulation game this season.
RUSSELL SCORES GCU DIVISION I RECORD 42 POINTS
Grand Canyon redshirt senior DeWayne Russell set a career-high and GCU Division I single-game scoring record with 42 points against No. 14 Louisville on Dec. 3, tied for the top mark in Division I play this season. It was also 20 points more than Louisville had given up to any other player this season and the most points scored by a WAC player since the 2013-14 season.
UMKC'S BOYD SETS SEVERAL CAREER MARKS
UMKC senior LaVell Boyd has set several career highs already this season. Against Southeast Missouri on Nov. 28, he set a new career mark by going 12-for-12 from the foul line. Against South Dakota on Nov. 30, he established a new career high with eight assists. He also had a career-high five steals in a career-best 38 minutes at South Dakota State on Dec. 3.
UVU COMPLETES LARGEST COMEBACK IN PROGRAM HISTORY
On Nov. 23 at Denver, Utah Valley overcame a 27-point deficit, as the Wolverines trailed 54-27 with 51 second left in the first half, to defeat the Pioneers 88-85 for the largest comeback in school history. Denver shot a blistering 72.4 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from three-point range in the first half.
UTRGV'S GREEN TIES WAC RECORD FOR THREE-POINTERS IN A GAME
In an overtime win against Grambling State on Nov. 25, UT Rio Grande Valley sophomore Antonio Green drained a program record 10 three-pointers, tying the WAC single-game record. Green attempted all of his shots from behind the arc, going 10-for-14 for a career-high 30 points. As a team, UTRGV finished with a program-record-tying 17 three-pointers in the game.
UVU SCORES MOST POINTS EVER AT BYU'S MARRIOTT CENTER
When Utah Valley defeated crosstown rival BYU 114-101 at the Marriott Center on Nov. 26, the Wolverines' 114 points were the most ever scored against BYU at the Marriott Center. In addition, Utah Valley drained 18 three-pointers in the game, both a school record and a Marriott Center record.
CHICAGO STATE'S PALMER SCORES 34 POINTS, GRABS 15 REBOUNDS AGAINST EAST-WEST
Chicago State senior Trayvon Palmer recorded a career-high 34 points and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, on Nov. 22 against NAIA school East-West. The last time a Cougar had 30 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in a game was Feb. 3, 2011, when Carl Montgomery finished with 35 points and grabbed 16 rebounds at Houston Baptist.
GRAND CANYON HOLDS COPPIN STATE TO 37 POINTS
On Nov. 25, Grand Canyon defeated Coppin State 70-37. It was the first time the Lopes have held a Division I opponent under 40 points, just the seventh time this season a team has held a Division I opponent under 40 points and the third-lowest opponent scoring output in the country this season.
UVU'S RANDOLPH SETS PROGRAM SINGLE GAME ASSISTS RECORD
On Nov. 26 at Brigham Young, Utah Valley junior guard Brandon Randolph set the program single-game record for assists with 14. The previous record of 12 was set by Nick Thompson in the 2012-13 season.
GCU'S BRAUN SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Grand Canyon junior Joshua Braun scored his 1,000th career point on a layup at the 4:11 mark of the first half against Albany on Nov. 19. He now has 1,028 career points and is the Lopes' first 1,000 point scorer in the Division I era.
CSUB'S DURHAM SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR THREE-POINTERS IN A GAME
CSU Bakersfield's Damiyne Durham broke the program Division I record for three-pointers in a game with eight against UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 19. The redshirt sophomore hit 8-of-19 for a .421 clip from behind the arc on the way to scoring a game-high 30 points. Durham accomplished the feat in only 25 minutes played. Durham's 27 field goal attempts tied the CSUB all-time record and his 19 three-point attempts tied the all-time record, as well. As a team, the ‘Runners were one shy of the Division I record for three-pointers made (15) and tied the record of attempted threes with 32.
UVU SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR THREE-POINT ATTEMPTS
Utah Valley tallied a school-record 43 three-point attempts in its game against Benedictine on Nov. 19, as nine different players attempted a long ball. The Wolverines connected on 11 threes in the victory.
CSUB'S AIRINGTON SCORES SECOND-MOST POINTS IN PROGRAM DI HISTORY
CSU Bakersfield redshirt senior Jaylin Airington had a huge game against No. 9 Arizona on Nov. 15, He finished the game with 31 points, the second highest single-game total for a Roadrunner in CSUB's Division I history (33, Issiah Grayson, 2013-14). Twelve of his 18 points came in the second half.
THREE WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO LOU HENSON AWARD WATCH LIST
Three WAC men's basketball players - NM State's Ian Baker, CSU Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile and Grand Canyon's Joshua Braun - were named to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List, given to the nation's top Division I mid-major player.