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CHICAGO STATE'S SIMS JR. NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chicago State sophomore guard Fred Sims Jr. has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 9-15. This is his first WAC Player of the Week honor of his career.
The Chicago native averaged a WAC-best 21.5 points to go with 6.5 rebounds per game last week. Sims averaged four three-pointers per game and shot 87.5 percent at the free throw line as the Cougars went 1-1 on the week. He opened the week with his first collegiate double-double by scoring a game-high 25 points and grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds in addition to shooting 5-of-6 from the free throw line for the Cougars, who snapped a 17-game WAC losing skid with a road win at Utah Valley. With UVU leading 38-31 in the second half, the Cougars went on a 22-2 run with Sims Jr. scoring 11 of those points to take their first lead of the game at 53-40 with 10:53 left in the game, a lead they never relinquished. In a 65-50 loss at Seattle U on Saturday, Sims Jr. led Chicago State with 18 points to go with three rebounds. He now ranks third in the WAC in both scoring (18.6) and minutes per game (32.75), fifth in three-pointers per game (2.55) and sixth in free throw percentage (78.8).
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Jaylin Airington averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists on the week ... DeWayne Russell of Grand Canyon finished averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds, and scored his 1,000th career point on the week ... UMKC's LaVell Boyd averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals last week ... Jemerrio Jones of NM State averaged 15.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game as the Aggies went 2-0 on the week ... Seattle U's Matej Kavas averaged 20.0 points and 6.0 rebounds on the week ... Nick Dixon of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists on the week ... Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph averaged 14.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.5), field goal percentage defense (38.7), three-point field goal percentage (37.6), rebounding margin (6.0), steals (8.39) and offensive rebounds (13.61), while NM State is tops in scoring margin (11.6), field goal percentage (46.6), three-point field goal percentage defense (29.6), rebounding defense (33.2) and blocks (4.32).
Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (71.9), assists (16.39) and assist-turnover ratio (1.14), while UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in scoring (80.0) and three-pointers per game (9.38). Utah Valley leads the WAC in rebounding (39.9) and defensive rebounds (30.94) and Grand Canyon is tops in turnover margin (1.94).
Individually, Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in scoring (23.3), assists (5.06) and minutes per game (38.25), while Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson is tops in rebounding (10.0) and blocked shots (1.89). NM State's Eli Chuha leads the WAC in field goal percentage (58.9) and offensive rebounds (3.79), while teammate Braxton Huggins is tops in three-point percentage (48.7). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf leads the WAC in free throw percentage (88.2) and is tied with Grand Canyon's Gerard Martin and CSU Bakersfield's Dedrick Basile for the lead in steals (1.78). UT Rio Grande Valley's Antonio Green leads the league in three-pointers per game (4.10), while CSUB's Brent Wrapp is tops in assist-turnover ratio (2.68) and Chicago State's Trayvon Palmer leads the WAC in defensive rebounds (6.40).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.2), scoring margin (11.5), rebounding defense (30.0) and rebounding margin (10.0), and is tied with Chicago State for the lead in free throw percentage (75.0). Seattle U is tops in field goal percentage (46.4), assists (16.33), assist-turnover ratio (1.29) and three-pointers per game (9.0), while Utah Valley leads the league in field goal percentage defense (38.5), rebounding (43.7), blocks (5.67) and defensive rebounds (33.33). Chicago State is tops in three-point field goal percentage defense (26.7) and turnover margin (2.5), while UTRGV leads the WAC in scoring (77.2), steals (8.0) and offensive rebounds (14.75). CSUB is tops in three-point field goal percentage (43.4).
Individually in WAC games, GCU's Joshua Braun leads the WAC in scoring (21.0), while Neilson is tops in rebounding (12.7), blocks (2.67) and defensive rebounds (8.67). Russell leads the WAC in assists (8.0) and minutes per game (39.33), while teammate Kerwin Smith is tops in field goal percentage (75.0). NM State's Matt Taylor and Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph lead the league in free throw percentage (92.3), while UTRGV's Lew Stallworth is tops in steals (2.75). Basile leads the WAC in three-point percentage (80.0), while Huggins is tops in three-pointers per game (3.5). Wrapp leads the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (3.5), while Chuha is tops in offensive rebounds (5.75).
GCU'S RUSSELL SCORES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
Grand Canyon senior guard DeWayne Russell scored his 1,000th career point on a three-pointer with 17:58 remaining in the second half at NM State on Jan. 12 to become just the second player in the Division I era to do so, joining teammate Joshua Braun. Russell now has 1,029 career points.
NM STATE BOASTS 37-GAME WAC HOME WINNING STREAK
NM State is currently riding a 37-game WAC home winning streak, the second-longest in the country behind Stephen F. Austin. The Aggies' last WAC home loss was a 68-60 loss to Nevada on Jan. 26, 2012. NM State has also won 21-straight home games, fourth-most in the NCAA, and has won 15 consecutive games overall, the third-longest active winning streak in the nation behind Gonzaga (17) and Kansas (16). The Aggies' 17-2 overall record is the best since 1993-94 when the team started the year 16-1 before losing its second game.
CHICAGO STATE SNAPS 17-GAME WAC LOSING SKID
When it defeated Utah Valley 70-61 on Jan. 12, Chicago State snapped a 17-game WAC losing skid. Its last WAC victory was on Feb. 28, 2015, at home against Utah Valley.
NMSU'S WEIR BOASTS BEST RECORD OF FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES
NM State head coach Paul Weir currently has a 17-2 mark (.895), the best record of all first year head coaches in NCAA Division I. His record is also the best mark of all coaches that are in their first year coaching at their current school.
UTRGV'S GREEN ON PACE TO BREAK PROGRAM, WAC RECORD FOR THREE-POINTERS
UT Rio Grande Valley sophomore Antonio Green currently leads the nation with 86 three-point field goals made this season, which ranks tied for fourth in the UTRGV record books. With a minimum of 11 games remaining this season, at his current pace of 4.10 three-pointers per game, Green would finish the season with a UTRGV and WAC record 131 treys.
GCU'S RUSSELL EXTENDS DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK TO 21 GAMES
Grand Canyon senior guard DeWayne Russell has scored in double figures in 21 straight games, dating back to last season. He has led the Lopes in scoring in 11 of his 16 games played this season. Russell leads the WAC in both scoring (23.3) and assists (5.1) and currently ranks fourth in the country in scoring and third in minutes per game (38.3).