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CSU BAKERSFIELD'S BASILE NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
CSU Bakersfield junior guard Dedrick Basile has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 22-28. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Houston native finished with 19 points on 57.1 percent shooting, seven assists and six rebounds in a 15-point win over Grand Canyon to move into a tie with the Lopes for second place in the WAC standings with one game remaining. Basile also recorded three steals for a defense that limited two of the WAC's top five scorers, Joshua Braun and Grandy Glaze, to 10.1 and 2.3 points, respectively, below their season averages. Basile entered the week averaging 11.5 points on 46.3 percent shooting, 3.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 steals.
Other nominees included: Chicago State's Anthony Eaves finished with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three steals in a loss to UT Rio Grande Valley ... Grandy Glaze of Grand Canyon posted a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds in a loss at CSUB ... Missouri-Kansas City's Martez Harrison finished with 20 points, six assists, five rebounds and one steal in a one-point loss to NM State ... Ian Baker of NM State finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals in a win at UMKC ... Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf finished with 21 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals and hit the game-winning shot in a win over Utah Valley ... Antonio Green of UTRGV finished with a career-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over Chicago State ... Utah Valley's Marcel Davis tallied 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a loss at Seattle U.
NM STATE CLINCHES SECOND CONSECUTIVE WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
With a win at Missouri-Kansas City on Feb. 27, NM State won its second consecutive WAC regular-season title and third in its history, all under head coach Marvin Menzies. The Aggies shared the title in 2008, then outright championships in 2015 and 2016. NM State posted its fifth straight 20-win season and seventh in the nine-year Marvin Menzies era. NM State has had eight 20-win seasons in its 11 years in the WAC starting in 2005-06.
FIVE OF SEVEN WAC TOURNAMENT SEEDS SET
With one WAC game remaining for each of the eight teams, five of the seven seeds for next week's WAC Tournament have been set. NM State is the No. 1 seed, while CSU Bakersfield is No. 2. Seattle U is No. 3, Utah Valley is No. 4 and Chicago State is No. 7. The only seeds not set are Nos. 5 and 6, which will be filled by Missouri-Kansas City and UT Rio Grande Valley. If both teams end up with the same record, the tiebreaker would come down to RPI, as in that instance the two teams will have split head-to-head and will have identical records against all other teams.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.0), three-point field goal percentage defense (32.0), blocks (5.18), assists (15.64), turnover margin (2.36) and offensive rebounds (12.86), while NM State is tops in field goal percentage (46.8), field goal percentage defense (39.0), rebounding (41.0), rebounding defense (31.5), rebounding margin (9.6) and defensive rebounds (29.10). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in scoring (76.9), scoring margin (8.8) and three-point field goal percentage (37.8), while Utah Valley is tops in free throw percentage (72.5) and three-pointers per game (8.54). Chicago State leads the WAC in steals (7.90) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in assist-turnover ratio (1.27).
Individually, NM State's Pascal Siakam leads the WAC in scoring (20.6), rebounding (11.8), blocked shots (2.43), offensive rebounds (3.87), defensive rebounds (7.93) and minutes per game (34.67). Grand Canyon's Grandy Glaze is tops in field goal percentage (59.5), while teammate DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in assists (5.41) and Joshua Braun is tops in free throw percentage (87.4) and three-point field goal percentage (42.2). CSU Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile, Damiyne Durham and Brent Wrapp are tops in steals (1.93), three-pointers per game (2.85) and assist-turnover ratio (2.71), respectively.
In WAC games only, NM State leads the WAC in field goal percentage (46.8), field goal percentage defense (37.7), rebounding (40.6), rebounding defense (33.1), rebounding margin (7.5), blocks (6.0) and defensive rebounds (28.69), while CSUB is tops in scoring defense (62.7), scoring margin (10.8), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.8) and turnover margin (2.85). Utah Valley leads the WAC in scoring (77.9), free throw percentage (74.6) and three-pointers per game (9.77), and is tied with UT Rio Grande Valley in assists (15.77). UTRGV is also tops in assist-turnover ratio (1.42). Chicago State leads the league in steals (7.38), Grand Canyon is tops in three-point field goal percentage (37.4) and Missouri-Kansas City leads the WAC in offensive rebounds (12.77).
Individually in WAC games, Siakam leads the WAC in scoring (18.4), rebounding (12.5), blocks (3.0), offensive rebounds (4.23) and defensive rebounds (8.31), while Glaze is tops in field goal percentage (55.2) and Braun leads the league in free throw percentage (86.5). Utah Valley's Marcel Davis is tops in assists (5.92), while teammate Ivory Young leads the league in three-point field goal percentage (44.6). Basile leads the WAC in steals (2.23) and Durham is tops in three-pointers per game (2.69). Grand Canyon's Russell is tops in assist-turnover ratio (3.20), while UT Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Green leads the WAC in minutes per game (35.64).
CSU BAKERSFIELD WINS 20 GAMES FOR FIRST TIME IN DIVISION I
With its win over Grand Canyon on Feb. 27, CSU Bakersfield won its 20th game of the season, an achievement the ‘Runners had not accomplished in a decade. CSUB's 2005-06 squad, one of the last teams to compete entirely in Division II, finished 21-8.
UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY SNAPS 28-GAME ROAD LOSING SKID
With a win at Chicago State on Feb. 28, UT Rio Grande Valley picked up its first road win since Nov. 17, 2014, snapping a 28-game skid. It was also the Vaqueros' first win away from home since Nov. 29, 2014.
NM STATE'S MENZIES SEVENTH ON WAC WINS CHART
NM State head coach Marvin Menzies is seventh on the all-time WAC victories chart with 102 wins. He needs four more wins to tie Jim Brandenburg of Wyoming and San Diego State (1978-92) in sixth place with 106. Menzies is also third in WAC winning percentage (73.4) and eighth in overall wins (196).
UMKC'S HARRISON SURPASSES 1,500 CAREER POINTS
Missouri-Kansas City junior Martez Harrison became the fourth UMKC player ever and the first since Michael Watson in 2004 to score more than 1,500 career points. Harrison has 1,505 points in his three years with the ‘Roos. He also ranks third all-time at UMKC with 359 assists. Harrison is also the WAC's active leader in free throws made (484) and steals (145).
CSUB'S HOLLINS SETS GAME, SEASON BLOCKS RECORDS
CSU Bakersfield junior Justin Hollins tied the all-time program single-game record with six blocked shots in only 18 minutes played at Seattle U on Jan. 16. He is the first CSUB player to do so at the Division I level. Hollins now has 57 blocks on the season, tied for the all-time record and breaking the previous CSUB Division I record of 31.
NM STATE BOASTS 35-GAME WAC HOME WINNING STREAK
NM State is currently riding a 35-game WAC home winning streak, the second-longest in the country behind the 37 straight Southland wins by Stephen F. Austin. The Aggies' last WAC home loss was a 68-60 loss to Nevada on Jan. 26, 2012. NM State is 7-0 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.
CSU BAKERSFIELD DEFENSE DOMINATES
CSU Bakersfield, which leads the WAC in scoring defense, has held its opponent to 30 or less points in the first half 21 times this season. The ‘Runners have held their opponent to 50 points or less four times this season and 60 points or less nine times.