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UTAH VALLEY'S JAKE TOOLSON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Utah Valley redshirt sophomore guard Jake Toolson has been named Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 12-18. This is his second WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of his career.
The Gilbert, Ariz., native averaged 15.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.0 steals in a pair of wins last week to move the Wolverines into a tie for second place in the WAC standings, one game out of first place. Toolson opened the week with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in Utah Valley's 86-79 win over NM State. The win snapped the Aggies' 11-game win streak and handed them their first loss in WAC play this season. He knocked down 5-of-6 shots from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range. He also hit 2-of-2 free throws. In Saturday's win over UT Rio Grande Valley, Toolson scored 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, one block and a steal. He connected on 6-of-9 shots from the field and went 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. On the week, Toolson shot 73.3 percent from the field, 60 percent from three-point range, and was perfect from the free throw line.
Other nominees included: Justin Davis of CSU Bakersfield finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals in a win over Grand Canyon ... Chicago State's Deionte Simmons posted his third double-double of the season with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds to go with two steals and a blocked shot ... Jordan Giles of Kansas City tallied 17 points, six rebounds and one assist in a victory over Chicago State ... NM State's Zach Lofton averaged 22.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 steals in a pair of losses ... Jordan Hill of Seattle U averaged 15.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals in a pair of wins last week ... UT Rio Grande Valley's Nick Dixon averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.0 steals and 1.5 assists in a pair of losses.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.0), scoring margin (11.3), field goal percentage defense (39.5), rebounding (40.7), rebounding margin (8.1), offensive rebounds (12.6) and defensive rebounds (28.1), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (79.8), field goal percentage (48.5), three-point field goal percentage (38.3), rebounding defense (31.6), blocks (4.1), assists (17.0) and assist-turnover ratio (1.2). Seattle U leads the league in free throw percentage (75.8) and three-pointers per game (9.2), while Grand Canyon is tops in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.0). Meanwhile, Kansas City leads the WAC in turnover margin (2.5) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in steals (7.9).
Individually, UTRGV's Nick Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (20.6), while NM State's Jemerrio Jones is tops in rebounding (12.3), offensive rebounds (3.7) and defensive rebounds (8.6). CSU Bakersfield's Moataz Aly leads the league in field goal percentage (73.3), while teammates Jarkel Joiner and Brent Wrapp lead the league in free throw shooting (90.5) 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 (47.7) and three-pointers per game (2.7). Utah Valley's Akolda Manyang leads the league in blocked shots (2.3), while UTRGV's Javon Levi is tops in assist-turnover ratio (2.8) and Seattle U's Jordan Hill leads the WAC in minutes per game (33.1).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the league in scoring defense (61.8), scoring margin (14.7), field goal percentage defense (37.6), three-point field goal percentage defense (26.8), rebounding (42.8), rebounding margin (9.5), offensive rebounds (13.0) and defensive rebounds (29.8), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (77.7), free throw percentage (75.3), field goal percentage (48.1), three-point field goal percentage (42.0), assists (17.1) and assist-turnover ratio (1.4), and is tied with Kansas City in three-pointers per game (8.4). CSUB leads the WAC in rebounding defense (31.3), Chicago State is tops in steals (8.0), UTRGV leads the league in turnover margin (3.9), and Seattle U and UVU are tied for the lead in blocks (3.7).
Individually in WAC games, NM State's Zach Lofton leads the league in scoring (21.8) and three-pointers per game (3.4), while Jones is tops in rebounding (13.7) and defensive rebounds (10.1). Aly leads the WAC in field goal percentage (68.0), while Chicago State's Cameron Hadley is tops in free throw percentage (88.5). Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph leads the league in assists (5.2), while teammate Conner Toolson is tops in steals (2.0). Kansas City's Brandon McKissic leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage (53.6), while UTRGV's Javon Levi is tops in assist-turnover ratio (3.8). Seattle U's Aaron Menzies leads the WAC in blocks (2.5) and offensive rebounds (3.7), while teammate Hill is tops in minutes per game (36.0).
SEATTLE U SETS MODERN DAY WIN RECORD AT 19
When it defeated NM State 73-63 in overtime on Feb. 17, it marked Seattle U's first win over the Aggies since the 2014-15 season, and just the third win ever for the Redhawks. It was also win No. 19 on the season, which set a modern-day Division I win total record for the Redhawks. Seattle U finished 18-16 in 2014-15 for the previous best mark. Seattle U's last Division I 20-win season was in 1963-64 when the then-Cheiftans went 22-6.
UTAH VALLEY EXTENDS HOME WIN STREAK, TIES PROGRAM RECORD
Utah Valley improved to 14-1 at home this season with wins over NM State and UT Rio Grande Valley on Feb. 15 and 17, respectively. The 14 wins matches the Utah Valley single-season record for home wins in a season with the 2006-07 team which went 14-1 and the 2011-12 team that finished the season with a 14-2 mark at home. With one home game remaining on the schedule, the Wolverines have a chance to secure the best home record in team history. Utah Valley is currently tied for the ninth-longest home win streak in the nation at 12 games.
CSUB'S WRAPP RECORDS 500TH ASSIST
After recording seven more assists against Grand Canyon on Feb. 17, CSU Bakersfield redshirt senior Brent Wrapp reached 502 career assists to become just the second Roadrunner in school history to record both 500 career points and assists. In addition, with 462 career rebounds, Wrapp has an outside shot at joining the 500-500-500 Club for points, rebounds and assists, a club that no active NCAA Division I men's basketball student-athlete is part of.
GRAND CANYON LEADS NATION IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
As a team, Grand Canyon has given up just 117 three-pointers this season, the fewest of any team in the country. The Lopes currently lead the nation in three-point field goal percentage defense, allowing just 27.0 percent from beyond the arc.