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UTRGV'S DIXON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UT Rio Grande Valley junior guard Nick Dixon has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 23-29. This is the first WAC Player of the Week honor of his career.
The Hillside, Ill., native led the WAC with 33.5 points on 56.4 percent shooting from the field and 85.2 percent shooting from the free throw line. Dixon added 7.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and a WAC-best 4.0 steals per game over two games last week. He opened the week with a career-high 41 points, the second-highest mark in the WAC this season and 13th-best in the country, to go with seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in a game at Utah Valley. He made a career-high 15 field goals and accounted for 50.6 percent of UTRGV's offense without attempting a three-pointer in the game. Dixon followed it up with 26 points, eight rebounds, six assists and four steals at Seattle U on Saturday. He made a career high 12 free throws on a perfect 12-for-12 at the line. It was his seventh time leading the team in scoring, his 10th time leading the team in assists and his 22nd time in double-figure scoring.
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Matt Smith averaged 20.5 points on 73.9 shooting, 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals as the Roadrunners picked up a pair of road wins ... Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State averaged 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists over two games ... Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell averaged 26.0 points, 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 steals on the week ... LaVell Boyd of UMKC averaged 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals last week ... NM State's Ian Baker averaged 21.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.5 steals as the Aggies extended their win streak to 18 games ... Zack Moore of Seattle U averaged 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals over two games last week ... Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph averaged 16.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 2.0 assists last week..
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State leads the WAC in scoring margin (12.0), field goal percentage (46.5), three-point field goal percentage defense (28.2), rebounding (39.4) and rebounding margin (6.6), while CSU Bakersfield is tops in scoring defense (64.2), field goal percentage defense (38.9), rebounding defense (32.5) and offensive rebounds (13.29). UT Rio Grande Valley leads the league in scoring (80.4), free throw percentage (71.9), steals (8.29) and three-pointers per game (9.25), while Utah Valley is tops in blocks (4.1), assist-turnover ratio (1.13) and defensive rebounds (30.10). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in turnover margin (1.91), UMKC is tops in three-point field goal percentage (36.9) and Seattle U leads the league in assists (16.38).
Individually, Grand Canyon's DeWayne Russell leads the WAC in scoring (23.1), assists (4.95) and minutes per game (38.6), while Chicago State's Trayvon Palmer is tops in rebounding (9.7) and defensive rebounds (6.58). NM State's Eli Chuha leads the league in field goal percentage (60.1) and offensive rebounds (3.77), while teammate Braxton Huggins is tops in three-point percentage (45.9). Seattle U's Brendan Westendorf leads the WAC in free throw percentage (87.9), while UT Rio Grande Valley's Nick Dixon leads the league in steals (1.96) and teammate Antonio Green is tops in three-pointers per game (4.13). Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.0) and CSU Bakersfield's Brent Wrapp is tops in assist-turnover ratio (2.81).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the WAC in scoring defense (64.1), scoring margin (12.7), three-point field goal percentage defense (24.3), rebounding (41.3), rebounding defense (30.0), rebounding margin (11.3), assist-turnover ratio (1.19) and offensive rebounds (13.43), while UTRGV is tops in scoring (79.9), free throw percentage (76.6), steals (9.29) and turnover margin (3.0). Seattle U leads the WAC in field goal percentage defense (40.4), assists (16.33) and three-pointers per game (9.0), while Utah Valley is tops in blocks (4.83) and defensive rebounds (29.17). CSUB leads the league in field goal percentage (47.2) and UMKC leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (36.5).
Individually in WAC games, Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (23.9) and steals (2.29), while Chuha is tops in rebounding (10.6), field goal percentage (66.7) and offensive rebounds (4.86). Russell leads the WAC in assists (6.5) and minutes per game (41.33), while NM State's Matt Taylor is tops in free throw percentage (93.3). Utah Valley's Ivory Young leads the league in three-point percentage (54.5), while Green is tops in three-pointers per game (3.43). Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson leads the league in blocks (2.67), CSUB's Wrapp is tops in assist-turnover ratio (3.5) and Chicago State's Palmer leads the WAC in defensive rebounds (7.71).
NM STATE FOURTH-FASTEST TEAM TO 20 WINS
When it defeated Utah Valley on Jan. 28, NM State recorded its 20th win of the season, becoming the fourth-fastest team in the nation to do so. The 20-2 start to the season matches the 1989-90 Aggie team for the third-best start in program history. NM State also has an 18-game winning streak, the second-longest active streak in the nation behind Gonzaga (22).
UTRGV ONE OF FIVE TEAMS WITH TWO PLAYERS AVERAGING 18 POINTS
UTRGV is one of just five teams in the nation to have two players averaging at least 18.0 points per game in junior Nick Dixon (18.9) and sophomore Antonio Green (18.2). They are averaging a combined 18.5 points per game, the fifth-highest among the duos, but rank first in total points (890). Dixon and Green represent one of just two guard duos on the list, and one of two with an underclassman on the list.
SEATTLE U'S MOORE HAS CAREER NIGHT AGAINST UTRGV
Seattle U sophomore Zack Moore nearly doubled his previous career high in scoring on Jan. 28 when he poured in 33 points in a win over UT Rio Grande Valley. Moore shot 11-of-14 from the field (78.6), 8-of-10 from three-point range (80.0) and 3-of-4 (75.0) from the charity stripe. The eight triples ranks second all-time in program history. As a team, the Redhawks shot season highs of 62.5 percent from the field and 58.3 percent from downtown with a season-high 14 three-pointers made. Three players hit career scoring marks in the game, as joining Moore were Brendan Westendorf (29) and William Powell (22).
NMSU'S WEIR BOASTS BEST RECORD OF FIRST-YEAR HEAD COACHES
NM State head coach Paul Weir currently has a 20-2 mark (.909), 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. Weir currently has two more wins than any coach in either category.
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 99 three-pointers made this season, which ranks fourth in the UTRGV record books and tied for 10th in the WAC record books. With a minimum of eight games remaining this season, at his current pace of 4.13 three-pointers per game, Green would finish the season with a UTRGV and WAC record 132 treys.
GCU'S RUSSELL EXTENDS DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORING STREAK TO 23 GAMES
Grand Canyon senior guard DeWayne Russell has scored in double figures in 25 straight games, dating back to last season. He has led the Lopes in scoring in 15 of his 20 games played this season. Russell currently ranks seventh in the country in scoring (23.1) and first in minutes per game (38.6).
NM STATE BOASTS 38-GAME WAC HOME WINNING STREAK
NM State is currently riding a 38-game WAC home winning streak, the second-longest conference home win streak 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 22-straight home games, fourth-most in the NCAA.