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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. 12-18. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the third of his career.
The Washington, D.C., native led the Aggies to a huge pair of road wins last week to run their win streak to eight games. He averaged 19.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game over the two games. In NM State's second rivalry win in four days last Tuesday, Baker had a game-high 20 points and five boards at Battle of I-10 rival UTEP. In that same game, he became the 34th player in NM State history to record 1,000 career points. On Saturday, Baker finished with 19 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in an 81-70 victory over Arizona State. It was NM State's first victory over a Pac-12 opponent since 1999.
Other nominees included: Dedrick Basile of CSU Bakersfield finished with 30 points, six assists, two rebounds and a steal in a win over Bethesda ... Chicago State's Fred Sims Jr. averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists in a pair of losses ... DeWayne Russell of Grand Canyon averaged 20.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals as the Lopes went 1-1 on the week ... UMKC's LaVell Boyd averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals as the Roos went 0-2 on the week ... William Powell of Seattle U averaged 5.5 points, including 7-of-8 free throws, 4.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists as the Redhawks went 2-0 on the week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Green averaged 17.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists as the Vaqueros went 2-1 last week ... Brandon Randolph of Utah Valley finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists in a loss at Weber State last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (61.9), scoring margin (12.7), field goal percentage defense (37.6), rebounding (38.8), rebounding defense (31.6), rebounding margin (7.2), steals (9.1), turnover margin (2.33) and offensive rebounds (13.33), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (83.4), assists (16.5), assist-turnover ratio (1.18) and defensive rebounds (29.3). NM State leads the league in field goal percentage (46.3), three-point field goal percentage defense (31.3) and blocks (4.15), while UMKC is tops in three-point field goal percentage (39.8) and three-pointers per game (9.85) and Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (74.3).
Individually, Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in scoring (24.3), assist-turnover ratio (2.42) and minutes per game (38.11), while Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson is tops in rebounding (9.9), field goal percentage (64.0), blocked shots (1.7), offensive rebounds (3.3) and defensive rebounds (6.6). Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph leads the league in assists (6.1), while teammate Kenneth Ogbe is tops in three-point percentage (61.5). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf leads the WAC in free throw percentage (97.3), UT Rio Grande Valley's Nick Dixon is tops in steals (1.93) and teammate Antonio Green leads the league in three-pointers per game (4.14).
NM STATE'S BAKER SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
NM State senior point guard Ian Baker scored his 1,000th career point on a layup at the 8:14 mark of the second half in a win at UTEP on Dec. 13 to become the 34th player in NM State history to record 1,000 career points. The WAC's active scoring leader, he now has 1,033 on his career.
UTRGV ONE OF SEVEN TEAMS NATIONALLY WITH TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING 17 POINTS
UTRGV is one of just seven teams in the NCAA to have two players averaging at least 17.0 points per game in sophomore Antonio Green (17.5) and junior Nick Dixon (17.1). They are averaging a combined 17.3 points per game, the eighth-highest among the duos, but lead the way in total points (485). Dixon and Green represent one of just three guard duos on the list, and one of four with an underclassman on the list.
CHICAGO STATE HAS CLOSEST GAME EVER AGAINST NORTHWESTERN
When it fell 68-64 at Northwestern on Dec. 14, it was the closest Chicago State had ever come against the Wildcats. The Cougars connected on a season-high 13 three-pointers and shot 50 percent from downtown in the game. The closest game that Chicago State had previously at Northwestern came on Feb. 4, 2009, when it lost by a score of 71-61 in which only three Cougar players combined for that point total.
REDHAWKS' DOLLAR EARNS 100TH WIN AT SEATTLE U
Seattle U's 82-67 win over Mississippi Valley State on Dec. 15 was Head Coach Cameron Dollar's 100th at the helm of the Redhawk program. In his eighth year at the helm, Dollar is now 101-126 at Seattle U.
NM STATE DEFEATS PAC-12 SCHOOL FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 1999
When it defeated Arizona State on Dec. 17, it was NM State's first win over a Pac-12 school since 1999, when the Aggies defeated Washington 79-75 at home in double overtime. The win was NM State's first victory over a Power 5 opponent since the 2004-05 season when it defeated Northwestern on a neutral floor. The last true road victory over a Power 5 team for NM State was against USC in the Preseason NIT to open the 1993-94 season.
CSUB SCORES SECOND-MOST POINTS IN NCAA DIVISION I HISTORY
CSU Bakersfield scored the second-most points in the school's NCAA Division I history during its 105-78 victory over Bethesda on Dec. 15. Senior guard Dedrick Basile led the way for the ‘Runners, scoring a career-high 30 points. Basile's 30-point performance marks the third time this season that a ‘Runner has scored 30 or more (Jaylin Airington, 31 and Damiyne Durham, 30).
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
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 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.
RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
Of the five first team All-WAC players in 2015-16, two return for the 2016-17 season in Ian Baker of NM State and Joshua Braun of Grand Canyon. Three one of the five second team honorees return in Dedrick Basile of CSU Bakersfield, Martez Harrison of UMKC and Brendan Westendorf of Seattle U.
Three of the five All-Defensive Team honorees from last year return - Baker, Basile and Westendorf. Meanwhile, three of the five All-Newcomer Team honorees from a year ago return in Basile, Westendorf and LaVell Boyd of UMKC.
KEY NON-CONFERENCE MATCHUPS
WAC teams have several key non-conference matchups this season, including 30 games against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament or NIT last season. The complete list is below.
Games vs. 2016 NCAA Tournament Teams
Nov. 11 Grand Canyon at Duke
Nov. 11 Utah Valley at Gonzaga
Nov. 14 Seattle U at Colorado
Nov. 15 CSU Bakersfield at Arizona
Nov. 16 Seattle U at Notre Dame
Nov. 17 Chicago State at Wisconsin
Nov. 20 UT Rio Grande Valley at Iowa
Nov. 21 UMKC vs. Green Bay
Nov. 22 Fresno State at CSU Bakersfield
Nov. 26 Chicago State at Notre Dame
Dec. 3 UMKC at South Dakota State
Dec. 6 UMKC at Kansas
Dec. 6 Utah Valley at Utah
Dec. 14 Grand Canyon at Arizona
Dec. 17 UMKC at West Virginia
Dec. 17 Utah Valley at Weber State
Games vs. 2016 NIT Teams
Nov. 11 UMKC at Creighton
Nov. 26 Utah Valley at Brigham Young
Nov. 26 CSU Bakersfield vs. North Florida
Dec. 7 San Diego State at Grand Canyon
Dec. 12 North Florida at UT Rio Grande Valley
Dec. 17 UT Rio Grande Valley at Houston
Dec. 22 Washington at Seattle U
Dec. 28 Chicago State at Valparaiso