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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 Feb. 19-25. This is his third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and of his career.
The Memphis, Tenn., native averaged 17.0 rebounds, 13.5 points on 61.9 percent shooting and 5.5 assists in a pair of wins last week as the Aggies won their third regular-season title in four years. Jones opened the week with 12 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against Chicago State. He followed it up with 15 points, a career-high 23 rebounds and seven assists against Kansas City. The 23 boards was the fifth-most rebounds in a single-game in NM State history and Jones became just the second player in program history to have recorded 20 or more rebounds four times in a single season. He now leads the WAC in rebounding (12.7), offensive rebounds (3.8) and defensive rebounds (8.9), and ranks seventh in field goal percentage (49.1) and eighth in assists (3.4).
Other nominees included: Justin Davis of CSU Bakersfield averaged with 11.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 as the Roadrunners went 1-1 on the week ... Chicago State's Fred Sims Jr. averaged 24.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in a pair of games last week ... Alessandro Lever of Grand Canyon averaged 23.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 blocks per game in a pair of victories last week ... Kansas City's Broderick Robinson averaged 12.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Roos went 1-1 on the week ... Nick Dixon of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Vaqueros went 1-1 on the week ... Utah Valley's Conner Toolson averaged 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals as the Wolverines went 1-1 on the week.
WAC STAT LEADERS
NM State leads the WAC in scoring defense (63.0), scoring margin (11.7), field goal percentage defense (39.3), rebounding (40.9), rebounding margin (8.5), offensive rebounds (12.6) and defensive rebounds (28.3), while Utah Valley is tops in scoring (78.7), field goal percentage (48.6), three-point field goal percentage (38.3), rebounding defense (31.7), blocks (4.1) and assists (16.4). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.2) and assist-turnover ratio (1.2), while Seattle U is tops in free throw percentage (74.7) and three-pointers per game (9.2). Meanwhile, Kansas City leads the WAC in turnover margin (2.5) and UT Rio Grande Valley is tops in steals (7.6).
Individually, UTRGV's Nick Dixon leads the WAC in scoring (20.7), while NM State's Jemerrio Jones is tops in rebounding (12.7), offensive rebounds (3.8) and defensive rebounds (8.9). CSU Bakersfield's Moataz Aly leads the league in field goal percentage (69.7), while teammates Jarkel Joiner and Brent Wrapp lead the league in free throw shooting (89.5) and assists (5.2), respectively. Utah Valley's Conner Toolson leads the WAC in steals (1.5), while Seattle U's Matej Kavas is tops in three-point percentage (46.2) 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 (2.7) and Seattle U's Jordan Hill leads the WAC in minutes per game (33.2).
In WAC games only, NM State leads the league in scoring (77.1), scoring defense (61.9), scoring margin (15.2), field goal percentage defense (37.5), rebounding (42.9), rebounding margin (10.1), assist-turnover ratio (1.3), offensive rebounds (12.8) and defensive rebounds (30.1), while Utah Valley is tops in field goal percentage (48.2), three-point field goal percentage (41.5), blocks (3.8) and assists (15.8) and is tied with CSU Bakersfield in rebounding defense (32.1). UTRGV leads the league in free throw percentage (74.7) and turnover margin (2.8), while Chicago State is tops in steals (7.8). Grand Canyon leads the WAC in three-point field goal percentage defense (27.6) and Kansas City is tops in three-pointers per game (8.5).
Individually in WAC games, Dixon leads the league in scoring (21.4), while Jones is tops in rebounding (14.2) and defensive rebounds (10.5), and is tied with Seattle U's Aaron Menzies for the lead in offensive rebounds (3.8). Aly leads the WAC in field goal percentage (62.1), while NM State's Gabe Hadley is tops in three-point field goal percentage (52.4) and teammate Zach Lofton leads the league in three-pointers per game (2.9). Utah Valley's Brandon Randolph and Wrapp are tied for the lead in assists (4.7), while Toolson is tops in steals (2.0). Menzies leads the WAC in blocks (2.5), Levi is tops in assist-turnover ratio (3.3) and Hill leads the league in minutes per game (35.7).
GCU'S MAJERLE EARNS 100TH CAREER WIN
When his team defeated Utah Valley 60-59 on Feb. 24, it was win No. 100 for Grand Canyon head coach Dan Majerle. Majerle has a head coaching record of 100-56 (.641) in five seasons at the helm of the Lopes. He is 48-23 (.676) in WAC play.
NM STATE'S JONES GRABS FIFTH-MOST REBOUNDS IN PROGRAM HISTORY
In his team's win over Kansas City on Feb. 24, NM State senior Jemerrio Jones grabbed a career-high 23 rebounds. The 23 boards was the fifth-most rebounds in a single-game in the Aggie record books. In addition, it was Jones' fourth game this season with 20 or more rebounds and he joins Sam Lacey in program history to have recorded 20-plus rebounds four times in a single-season.
GCU'S LEVER SETS PROGRAM FRESHMAN SCORING RECORD
Grand Canyon's Alessandro Lever set a career-high with 30 points while grabbing 10 rebounds against Seattle U on Feb. 22, his second double-double on the season. The 30 points set a GCU Division I freshman scoring record.
CHICAGO STATE'S SIMS JR. DRAINS WAC SEASON-HIGH NINE THREE-POINTERS
Chicago State junior Fred Sims Jr. tallied a season-high 30 points and drained a career-best nine three-pointers at NM State on Feb. 22. The nine three-pointers is a WAC season high for any player.
UTRGV WINS RECORD SIXTH WAC GAME
When it defeated Chicago State on Feb. 24, it was UT Rio Grande Valley's sixth WAC win of the season. The last time UTRGV won six conference games was as a member of the Sun Belt in 1995-96. UTRGV last won more conference contests in 1994-95 with a program-record 10 as part of the Sun Belt.
GRAND CANYON LEADS NATION IN THREE-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE DEFENSE
As a team, Grand Canyon has given up just 129 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 27.2 percent from beyond the arc.
CSUB'S WRAPP RECORDS 500TH ASSIST
CSU Bakersfield redshirt senior Brent Wrapp currently has 512 career assists and is just the second Roadrunner in school history to record both 500 career points and assists. In addition, with 476 career rebounds, Wrapp has an outside shot at joining the 500-500-500 Club for points, rebounds and assists, a select club with just seven known members, including just one active NCAA Division I men's basketball student-athlete.