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SEATTLE U'S MATEJ KAVAS NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Seattle U sophomore guard Matej Kavas has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 27-Dec. 3. This is his first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Ljubljana, Slovenia, native averaged 20.0 points and 7.0 rebounds while shooting 56.4 percent from the field to lead Seattle U to a perfect 3-0 record last week. Kavas opened the week with 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting and was one rebound shy of a double-double as he grabbed nine boards in a 73-67 win over Idaho State. Three days later against Kennesaw State, he scored in double figures for the sixth-straight outing, finishing with 10 points to go along with four rebounds in a 66-54 victory. Kavas capped the busy week with a game-high 26 points - one shy of his career high - to go with eight rebounds and two assists as the Redhawks stayed unbeaten at home with a huge 84-65 win over Eastern Washington. Kavas hit 9-of-13 (69.2 percent) from the field, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe as he led Seattle U in scoring for the fifth time in the last six games. The reigning WAC Freshman of the Year currently ranks third in the league in scoring (18.3) and seventh in both rebounding (6.2) and field goal percentage (53.3).
Other nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Jarkel Joiner averaged 15.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal last week ... Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State averaged 19.5 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists in a pair of games last week ... Grand Canyon's Roberts Blumbergs finished with 14 points and seven rebounds in a win over UC Riverside ... Xavier Bishop of Kansas City finished with 16 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal in a loss to South Dakota ... NM State's Jemerrio Jones averaged 14.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in a pair of wins ... Nick Dixon of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists as the Vaqueros went 1-2 on the week ... Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in a pair of games last week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Grand Canyon leads the WAC in scoring defense (58.5), scoring margin (13.7), field goal percentage defense (38.2), three-point field goal percentage defense (26.4), blocks (4.8), assists (16.7), turnover margin (3.3) and assist-turnover ratio (1.1), while NM State is tops in field goal percentage (47.9), rebounding (42.1), rebounding defense (29.6), rebounding margin (12.6) and defensive rebounds (29.4). Seattle U leads the league in scoring (79.1), free throw percentage (83.8) and three-point field goal percentage (34.9), while CSU Bakersfield is tops in offensive rebounds (13.4), Kansas City leads the WAC in three-pointers per game (9.1) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in steals (7.9).
Individually, UTRGV's Nick Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (21.2), while NM State's Jemerrio Jones is tops in rebounding (11.9), offensive rebounds (4.7) and defensive rebounds (7.1). CSU Bakersfield's Moataz Aly leads the league in field goal percentage (75.0), while teammate Jarkel Joiner leads the league in free throw shooting (96.0). CSUB's Brent Wrapp and Grand Canyon's Casey Benson are tied for the lead in assists (5.3) and Wrapp also leads the WAC in assist-turnover ratio (2.5). Grand Canyon's Oscar Frayer leads the league in steals (2.0). Chicago State's Montana Byrd leads the WAC in three-point percentage (48.5), while Seattle U's Matej Kavas is tops in three-pointers per game (3.0). Utah Valley's Akolda Manyang leads the WAC in blocked shots (2.6) and teammate Brandon Randolph is tops in minutes per game (33.8).
SEATTLE U LEADS NATION IN FREE THROW SHOOTING
Seattle U currently leads the nation in free throw percentage at 83.8 percent. The Redhawks have shot 90 percent or better as a team in three of nine games this season, including a percent 10-of-10 against Kennesaw State on Nov. 30.