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NM STATE'S JEMERRIO JONES NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
NM State senior forward Jemerrio Jones has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Jan. 1-7. This is his first-ever WAC Player of the Week honor.
The Memphis, Tenn. native finished with posted his 10th double-double of the year in NM State's 97-60 victory at Chicago State to open WAC play. He finished with 18 points on 56 percent shooting to go along with 16 rebounds. He also dished out five assists. Jones leads the WAC and is tied for seventh nationally with 10 double-doubles, ranks seventh in total rebounds (182), ninth in rebounds per game (11.4), 10th in offensive rebounds per game (3.88) and 17th in defensive rebounds per game (7.50).
Other nominees included: Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State finished with 20 points and nine rebounds ... Grand Canyon's Oscar Frayer finished with 18 points on 57 percent shooting and seven rebounds in a win at Seattle U ... Broderick Robinson of Kansas City averaged 20.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals as the Roos went 1-1 on the week ... Seattle U's Jordan Hill scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed five rebounds in a loss to Grand Canyon ... Nick Dixon of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 19.0 points, 5.0 assists and 3.0 rebounds in a pair of wins ... Utah Valley's Jake Toolson finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and a steal in a win over CSU Bakersfield.
WAC STAT LEADERS
Utah Valley leads the WAC in field goal percentage (48.8), rebounding (40.2), rebounding defense (31.1), rebounding margin (9.1), blocks (4.2), assists (16.8), assist-turnover ratio (1.2) and defensive rebounds (28.2), while Grand Canyon is tops in scoring defense (61.1), scoring margin (11.9), field goal percentage defense (38.8), three-point field goal percentage defense (25.9) and turnover margin (2.8). Seattle U leads the league in scoring (81.1), free throw percentage (78.0), three-point field goal percentage (38.5) and three-pointers per game (10.0), while NM State is tops in offensive rebounds (12.4) and UT Rio Grande Valley leads the WAC in steals (7.9).
Individually, UTRGV's Nick Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (20.4), while NM State's Jemerrio Jones is tops in rebounding (11.4), offensive rebounds (3.9) and defensive rebounds (7.5). CSU Bakersfield's Moataz Aly leads the league in field goal percentage (76.7), while teammate Jarkel Joiner leads the league in free throw shooting (93.2). CSUB's Brent Wrapp is tops in assists (5.6) and assist-turnover ratio (2.8), while teammate Rickey Holden leads the WAC in minutes per game (33.4). Kansas City's Broderick Robinson leads the league in steals (1.5), while Utah Valley's Akolda Manyang is tops in blocked shots (2.4). Chicago State's Montana Byrd leads the WAC in three-point percentage (47.9), while Seattle U's Matej Kavas is tops in three-pointers per game (3.1).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the league in scoring (97.0), scoring margin (37.0), field goal percentage (54.8), assists (26.0), assist-turnover ratio (3.7) and three-pointers per game (12.0), and is tied with UTRGV in rebounding (47.0) and rebounding margin (13.0). The Aggies are also tied with Seattle U for the lead in offensive rebounds (13.0). Utah Valley leads the WAC in scoring defense (42.0), field goal percentage defense (33.3), three-point field goal percentage defense (15.4), rebounding defense (28.0) and steals (8.0), and is tied with Grand Canyon for the lead in turnover margin (4.0). Meanwhile, UTRGV is tops in free throw percentage (80.8), three-point field goal percentage (52.6) and defensive rebounds (35.0) and Kansas City leads the league in blocks (5.0).
Individually in WAC games, Seattle U's Jordan Hill leads the league in scoring (26.0), while NM State's Jones is tops in rebounding (16.0) and defensive rebounds (12.0) and is tied with Grand Canyon's Oscar Frayer for the lead in offensive rebounds (4.0). Utah Valley's Isaac Neilson leads the WAC in field goal percentage (100.0), while NM State's AJ Harris is tops in assists (8.0). Dixon leads the league in three-pointers per game (5.0), while Kansas City's Aleer Leek is tops in blocks (3.0). UMKC's Broderick Robinson and Hill are tied for the lead in minutes per game (40.0).
UTRGV USES SEASON-BEST 52.6 THREE-POINT PERCENTAGE TO BEAT KANSAS CITY
UT Rio Grande Valley shot a season-best 52.6 percent (10-of-19) from beyond the arc in its win at Kansas City on Jan. 6, marking the third time this season UTRGV has hit 10 or more three-pointers. Senior Nick Dixon shot a career-best 5-of-5 from behind the arc, while Moe McDonald was 2-of-5 from downtown. The 52.6 shooting percentage was UTRGV's highest from downtown since Dec. 29, 2016, when UTRGV shot 52.8 (19-for-36) against Our Lady of the Lake, and UTRGV's highest against a WAC opponent since Jan. 25, 2013, when UTRGV shot 53.3 (8-for-15) at NM State.
GRAND CANYON HAS GIVEN UP SECOND-FEWEST THREE-POINTERS IN NATION
As a team, Grand Canyon has given up just 63 three-pointers this season, the second-fewest of any team in the country. The Lopes also rank second nationally in three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing just 25.9 percent from beyond the arc.