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SEATTLE U'S WESTENDORF NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Seattle U junior guard Brendan Westendorf has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 25-31. This is his first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Auburn, Wash., native averaged 17.0 points on 51.9 percent shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals as the Redhawks picked up a pair of wins, just their second and third road wins of the season, including a victory at Grand Canyon, a team that was riding a NCAA-best 12-game winning streak. On Thursday, Westendorf tied his season high with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. He also collected six rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot as the Redhawks defeated Utah Valley. Two nights later, he led Seattle U with 14 points as it handed Grand Canyon its first conference loss of the season. Westendorf also added seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in the two-point victory. He entered the week averaging 11.6 points and 38.9 shooting, 5.0 rebounds and 1.47 steals per game.
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Damiyne Durham of averaged 12.0 points and 3.5 three-pointers per game as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week ... Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State finished with 26 points, two rebounds an assist and a steal in a loss at Missouri-Kansas City ... Grand Canyon's Grandy Glaze averaged 20.0 points and 12.5 rebounds as the Lopes went 1-1 on the week ... LaVell Boyd of Missouri-Kansas City finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in a win over Chicago State ... NM State's Pascal Siakam finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists in a rout of UT Rio Grande Valley ... Shaquille Hines of UT Rio Grande Valley scored a career-high 30 points on 66.7 percent shooting to go with three rebounds, two assists and two steals in a loss to NM State ... Utah Valley's Ivory Young averaged 16.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists on the week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Grand Canyon leads the WAC in scoring (79.3), scoring margin (10.1), field goal percentage (47.2), three-point field goal percentage (38.9), three-point field goal percentage defense (32.2) and assist-turnover ratio (1.27), while NM State is tops in field goal percentage defense (40.2), rebounding (41.9), rebounding defense (31.2), rebounding margin (10.6) and defensive rebounds (28.86). CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.9), blocks (5.14), assists (15.91) and turnover margin (1.68), while Chicago State is tops in steals (8.21) and offensive rebounds (13.17) and Utah Valley leads the league in free throw percentage (73.3) and three-pointers per game (8.45).
Individually, NM State's Pascal Siakam leads the WAC in scoring (22.2), rebounding (11.9), blocked shots (2.18), offensive rebounds (4.23), defensive rebounds (7.68) and minutes per game (35.32). Grand Canyon's Grandy Glaze is tops in field goal percentage (63.1), while teammates DeWayne Russell and Joshua Braun lead the WAC in assists (5.82) and three-point field goal percentage (46.5), respectively. NM State's Ian Baker is tops in free throw percentage (87.1), while CSU Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile, Damiyne Durham and Brent Wrapp are tops in steals (1.95), three-pointers per game (3.05) and assist-turnover ratio (2.67), respectively.
In WAC games only, NM State leads the WAC in field goal percentage (47.0), rebounding (42.3), rebounding margin (9.6), blocks (6.0), assists (16.71), offensive rebounds (14.0) and defensive rebounds (28.29), while Grand Canyon is tops in scoring (80.4), scoring margin (10.1), three-point field goal percentage (41.0) and assist-turnover ratio (1.58). CSUB leads the league in scoring defense (64.3) and field goal percentage defense (39.4), Chicago State is tops in steals (8.0) and turnover margin (3.71), and Utah Valley leads the WAC in free throw percentage (78.1) and three-pointers per game (10.57). UMKC leads the league in rebounding defense (32.6) and Seattle U is tops in three-point field goal percentage defense (29.7).
Individually in WAC games, Braun leads the WAC in scoring (22.6), while Siakam is tops in rebounding (12.4), blocks (2.71), offensive rebounds (4.86) and defensive rebounds (7.57). NM State's Tanveer Bhullar leads the league in field goal percentage (63.6), while Russell is tops in assists (6.0) and assist-turnover ratio (4.2). Baker leads the WAC in free throw percentage (95.2), while Basile is tops in steals (2.57) and Durham is tops in three-pointers per game (3.14). UMKC's Grant Leach leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (56.3), while Utah Valley's Jaden Jackson is tops in minutes per game (36.71).
UMKC'S HARRISON CLIMBING CAREER SCORING CHART
The WAC's active career leader in points (1,410), Missouri-Kansas City junior Martez Harrison currently ranks fifth on the UMKC scoring chart. He needs 33 points to tie Michael Jackson for fourth at 1,443. Harrison is also the WAC's active leader in three-pointers made (111), free throws made (443), steals (137) and assists (339).
GRAND CANYON FASTEST IN COUNTRY TO REACH 19 WINS
Grand Canyon is currently 19-3 on the season and was the first team in the nation to reach 19 victories. The Lopes have surpassed last year's win total of 17 and have a minimum of eight games remaining. Grand Canyon currently has the eighth-best winning percentage in the NCAA (86.4).
NM STATE BOASTS 31-GAME WAC HOME WINNING STREAK
NM State is currently riding a 31-game WAC home winning streak, as the Aggies' last WAC home loss was on Jan. 26, 2012, to Nevada. NM State is 3-0 at the Pan American Center in WAC play this season, went 7-0 in 2014-15, 8-0 in 2013-14, 9-0 in 2012-13 and 4-0 to close out the 2011-12 season.
ROADRUNNERS BREAK PROGRAM DIVISION I RECORD FOR BLOCKS
In a loss at Grand Canyon on Jan. 29, CSU Bakersfield blocked seven shots, including a career-high-tying four by Aly Ahmed, to break the program Division I record for single-season blocks. The ‘Runners now have 113 on the season and need 53 more to reach the CSUB all-time record.
SEATTLE U SWEEPS WAC ROAD TRIP FOR FIRST TIME EVER
Seattle University swept a WAC road weekend for the first time since joining the conference in 2012-13, defeating Utah Valley (73-62) and Grand Canyon (59-57). In defeating Grand Canyon Saturday, Seattle U overcame a seven-point halftime deficit and held off a late Antelope rally. It was Seattle U's first-ever victory over Grand Canyon after five previous losses.
UTRGV'S GREEN NATION'S SECOND-BEST FRESHMAN THREE-POINT SHOOTER
UT Rio Grande Valley freshman Antonio Green currently ranks second in the NCAA in three-point shooting by a freshman at 41.5 (49-of-118). Overall, Green ranks 56th in the NCAA and fifth in the WAC.
GRAND CANYON RANKED NO. 13 IN MID-MAJOR TOP 25
In the Feb. 1 CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, Grand Canyon is ranked No. 13. The Antelopes currently have the best RPI of all WAC teams at 105. NM State received 21 votes in this week's poll.
NM STATE'S MENZIES EIGHTH ON WAC WINS CHART
NM State head coach Marvin Menzies is now eighth on the all-time WAC victories chart with 96 wins. He also ranks third in WAC winning percentage (.722) and ninth in overall wins (189).
UTRGV'S HINES, KIMASA MOVING UP CAREER BLOCKS CHART
UT Rio Grande Valley student-athletes Shaquille Hines and Dan Kimasa are two of the best blocking threats in program history. Hines, a senior, ranks fifth all-time in career blocks (67), while the sophomore Kimasa is sixth (63).
NM STATE'S SIAKAM CLIMBING PROGRAM BLOCKS CHART
NM State sophomore Pascal Siakam has 48 blocked shots this season, good for 10th all-time in the Aggie single-season record books. His 109 career blocks ranks seventh on the program career list, seven shy of a tie for sixth place. Siakam also has 924 career points and 524 career rebounds.