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GRAND CANYON'S RUSSELL NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon redshirt senior guard DeWayne Russell has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 28-Dec. 4. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of his career.
The Peoria, Ariz., native averaged 34.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.5 assists last week. Russell connected on 22-of-49 from the field (44.9 percent), 6-of-13 from three-point range (46.2 percent) and 18-of-25 from the free throw line (72.0 percent) in a pair of games last week. He opened the week with a game-high 26 points, three steals, two rebounds and an assist against SIUE. On Saturday against No. 14 Louisville, Russell set a career-high and Grand Canyon Division I single-game record with 42 points, tied for the top mark in Division I play this season. It was also 20 points more than Louisville has given up to any other player this season and equaled the most points scored by a WAC player since the 2013-14 season. Russell, who had to sit out the first two games of the season, is now averaging 27.8 points per game, which would not only rank him first in the WAC, but would rank him second in the country. He has been GCU's leading scorer in four of the five games he's played in this season.
Other nominees included: Damiyne Durham of CSU Bakersfield averaged 16.5 points, 3.0 steals and 2.5 rebounds as the Roadrunners went 1-1 last week ... Chicago State's Fred Sims Jr. averaged 27.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals as the Cougars went 1-1 last week ... LaVell Boyd of UMKC averaged 20.7 points, 7.0 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals as the Roos went 2-1 on the week ... NM State's Jemerrio Jones averaged 12.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks as the Aggies went 2-0 on the week ... Aaron Menzies of Seattle U averaged 20.5 points, 15.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks as the Redhawks went 1-1 on the week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Nick Dawson averaged 22.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game last week ... Conner Toolson of Utah Valley averaged 18.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals as the Wolverines went 1-1 last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (58.6), scoring margin (12.3), field goal percentage defense (36.1), three-point field goal percentage defense (30.1), rebounding defense (32.2), rebounding margin (5.4), steals (9.3) and turnover margin (3.0), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (84.3), rebounding (39.4), assists (16.29), defensive rebounds (29.86) and three-pointers per game (11.0). NM State leads the league in field goal percentage (46.2), blocks (4.44) and offensive rebounds (13.0), while Chicago State is tops in assist-turnover ratio (1.15). UMKC leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (43.0) and Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (75.2).
Individually, Chicago State's Fred Sims Jr. leads the WAC in scoring (21.1), while Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson is tops in rebounding (9.6), blocked shots (1.71) and offensive rebounds (3.43), and is tied with teammate Brandon Randolph for the lead in defensive rebounds (6.14). Randolph also leads the league in assists (6.14) and assist-turnover ratio (1.93), while teammate Kenneth Ogbe leads the WAC in field goal percentage (62.0) and three-point percentage (66.7). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf is tops in free throw percentage (95.8) and minutes per game (34.62), while Grand Canyon's Gerard Martin leads the WAC in steals (2.14) and UT Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Green leads the league in three-pointers per game (3.9).
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, tied for 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.
UTAH VALLEY'S RANDOLPH SETS PROGRAM 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.
Lou Henson coached for 41 years. When he left the game in 2005, he was sixth all-time in career Division I wins with 779. He is the winningest coach at both Illinois and NM State and is one of only 12 coaches in the history of the game to take two schools to the Final Four.