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SEATTLE U'S WESTENDORF NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Seattle U senior guard Brendan Westendorf has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1. This is his first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the second of his career.
The Auburn, Wash., native averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per game as the Redhawks went 1-1 in their final week of non-conference play. Westendorf opened the week with a team-high 17 points to go with five rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 72-65 setback to UC Davis on Dec. 28. He followed it up with a career outing in a thrilling come-from-behind victory at UC Santa Barbara to secure the team's first road win of the season. Westendorf poured in a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including six three-pointers, to lead Seattle U to the 80-76 win. He also added four rebounds, a game-high four steals and three assists. Westendorf drained three consecutive three-pointers to give his team its first lead since scoring the game's first bucket. He added a layup for a personal 11-0 run that was part of an improbable 31-7 run. Westendorf's jumper with 41 seconds remaining gave the Redhawks the lead for good. His 28 points marks his fourth 20-point game this season and the third time he has raised his career high this season.
Other nominees included: Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a pair of losses ... Kyle Steward of UMKC finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two steals in a loss at Mississippi State ... NM State's Ian Baker averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals as the Aggies extended their win streak to 11 games ... Antonio Green of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game and averaged seven three-pointers per game in a pair of wins over non Division I opponents ... Utah Valley's Conner Toolson averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Wolverines went 1-1 last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
CSU Bakersfield leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.3), field goal percentage defense (37.6), rebounding (39.1), rebounding defense (33.4), rebounding margin (5.7), steals (8.79) and offensive rebounds (13.43), while NM State is tops in scoring margin (11.7), field goal percentage (46.8), three-point field goal percentage defense (30.1) and blocks (4.27). Utah Valley leads the league in scoring (80.7), assist-turnover ratio (1.20) and defensive rebounds (30.47), while UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in three-point field goal percentage (38.1), assists (16.76) and three-pointers per game (9.65). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in turnover margin (2.4) and Seattle U is tops in free throw percentage (73.2).
Individually, Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in scoring (24.2) and minutes per game (38.0), while Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson is tops in rebounding (9.5), field goal percentage (60.2), blocked shots (1.73) and offensive rebounds (3.6). Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph leads the league in assists (5.13), while teammate Kenneth Ogbe is tops in three-point percentage (50.0). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf leads the WAC in free throw percentage (92.9), Grand Canyon's Gerard Martin is tops in steals (2.07) and UTRGV's Antonio Green leads the league in three-pointers per game (4.41). CSUB's Dedrick Basile is tops in assist-turnover ratio (2.43) and Chicago State's Trayvon Palmer leads the WAC in defensive rebounds (6.13).
NMSU'S WEIR BOASTS BEST RECORD OF FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES
NM State head coach Paul Weir currently has a 13-2 mark (.867), the best record of all first year head coaches in NCAA Division I. His record is also the best 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 75 three-point field goals made this season, which ranks tied for ninth in the UTRGV record books. With a minimum of 15 games remaining this season, at his current pace of 4.41 three-pointers per game, Green would finish the season with a UTRGV and WAC record 141 treys, which would be the 11th-highest mark in NCAA history.
GCU'S RUSSELL EXTENDS DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK TO 18 GAMES
Grand Canyon senior guard DeWayne Russell has scored in double figures in 18 straight games, dating back to last season. He has led the Lopes in scoring in 11 of his 13 games played this season.