Complete Release in PDF
UT RIO GRANDE VALLEY'S DIXON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
UT Rio Grande Valley senior guard Nick Dixon has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 22-28. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the third of his career.
The Hillside, Ill., native scored a game-high 30 points on 10-of-17 shooting (59 percent), grabbed eight rebounds and dished out two assists. Dixon was also 8-of-12 at the free throw line. It was his second-highest scoring output of season and the first 30-point game in WAC play this season. Dixon tied his season high with 10 field goals made in the game and it was his 15th time leading UTRGV in scoring this season. With the victory, the Vaqueros surpassed their WAC win total from last season and tied their most road wins since the 2007-08 season.
Other nominees included: Glen Burns of Chicago State finished with 21 points on 88 percent shooting, three steals and two assists in a loss to UTRGV ... Grand Canyon's Alessandro Lever of averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists as the Lopes went 1-1 on the week ... Broderick Robinson of Kansas City averaged 9.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.5 assists on the week ... NM State's Jemerrio Jones finished with 10 points, 15 rebounds and three assists in a win over Kansas City ... Aaron Menzies of Seattle U finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks and a steal in a win over CSU Bakersfield ... Utah Valley's Akolda Manyang finished with 14 points, six rebounds and two blocks in a win over Grand Canyon.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State leads the WAC in scoring defense (62.7), scoring margin (11.5), rebounding (39.7), rebounding defense (31.1), rebounding margin (8.5) and offensive rebounds (12.6), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (80.1), field goal percentage (48.5), blocks (4.2), assists (17.1), assist-turnover ratio (1.2) and defensive rebounds (27.6). Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (77.3), three-point field goal percentage (38.3) and three-pointers per game (9.6), while Grand Canyon is tops in field goal percentage defense (39.4) and three-point field goal percentage defense (27.9). Kansas City leads the WAC in turnover margin (2.6) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in steals (8.0).
Individually, UTRGV's Nick Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (21.3), while NM State's Jemerrio Jones is tops in rebounding (11.5), offensive rebounds (3.8) and defensive rebounds (7.7). CSU Bakersfield's Moataz Aly leads the league in field goal percentage (73.7), while teammates Jarkel Joiner and Brent Wrapp lead the league in free throw shooting (91.7) and assists (5.2), respectively. Kansas City's Broderick Robinson leads the WAC in steals (1.6), while Seattle U's Matej Kavas is tops in three-point percentage (48.5), three-pointers per game (3.0) and minutes per game (33.1). Utah Valley's Akolda Manyang leads the league in blocked shots (2.4), while UTRGV's Lew Stallworth and Javon Levi are tied for the lead in assist-turnover ratio (2.6).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the league in scoring defense (56.8), scoring margin (21.0), field goal percentage defense (36.9), three-point field goal percentage defense (25.0), rebounding (41.8), rebounding margin (11.5) and defensive rebounds (28.7), and is tied with Grand Canyon for the lead in offensive rebounds (13.2). Utah Valley is tops in field goal percentage (47.6), three-point field goal percentage (42.9), blocks (3.8), assists (17.7), assist-turnover ratio (1.5) and three-pointers per game (9.0), while UTRGV leads the WAC in scoring (78.3), free throw percentage (75.0) and turnover margin (4.2). CSUB leads the league in rebounding defense (29.2) and Chicago State is tops in steals (8.2).
Individually in WAC games, Dixon leads the league in scoring (24.3), while Jones is tops in rebounding (12.5) and defensive rebounds (8.8). Aly leads the WAC in field goal percentage (66.7), while teammate Rickey Holden is tops in free throw percentage (95.0). Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph leads the league in assists (4.8), while Chicago State's Glen Burns is tops in steals (2.3). Kansas City's Brandon McKissic leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (72.7), while NM State's Zach Lofton is tops in three-pointers per game (3.7). Chicago State's Cameron Bowles leads the league in blocks (2.5), while NM State's AJ Harris is tops in assist-turnover ratio (6.0). Seattle U's Aaron Menzies leads the WAC in offensive rebounds (4.3) and teammate Jordan Hill is tops in minutes per game (35.7).
UTRGV HAS MOST ROAD WINS SINCE 2007-08 SEASON
With its win at Chicago State on Jan. 27, UT Rio Grande Valley match its highest road win total since the 2007-08 season at six. The Vaqueros also have the most WAC road wins (three) since the 2013-14 season and have already surpassed their WAC win total from last year. With an 11-11 mark overall, UTRGV is in the midst of its winningest season since 2012-13 when the team finished 16-16.
UTAH VALLEY EXTENDS HOME WIN STREAK
Utah Valley improved to 12-1 at home this season with a win over Grand Canyon on Jan. 27. The 12 wins are the most home wins since the 2013-14 season when UVU went 13-2 at home. The Wolverines hold the nation's 10th-longest home win streak at 10 games. UVU has already surpassed its regular season win total from last year of 14 with 16 wins this season with eight regular season games remaining.
CSUB'S ALY MOVING UP PROGRAM CAREER BLOCKING CHART
CSU Bakersfield senior Moataz Aly recorded one block against Seattle U on Jan. 26, bringing his career total to 88, which ranks fourth all-time at CSUB in the category. Aly will overtake two ‘Runners tied for second when he gets his 95th career block. The school record, set by Jamal Livingston (1998-00), is 107 blocks.
SEATTLE U APPROACHING PROGRAM RECORD FOR WAC WINS
The Redhawks are 4-2 through their first six WAC games for the first time since joining the conference in 2012-13. Seattle U needs one more WAC win to tie its best-ever finish in WAC play, which came in both 2014-15 and 2015-16 when the Redhawks finished 7-7. There are eight conference games remaining this season.
NM STATE HOLDS UMKC TO FEWEST POINT BY OPPONENT IN MORE THAN A YEAR
On Jan. 27, NM State held the Kansas City to just 48 points in a 73-48 victory. It was the fewest by an Aggie opponent since NM State defeated Samford 58-48 on Nov. 16, 2016.