TicketSmarter WAC Men’s Basketball Players of the Week Announced
DENVER – NM State's Teddy Allen has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week and Dixie State's Noa Gonsalves has been named TicketSmarter WAC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week for December 13 through December 19.
Allen, a junior guard from Phoenix, helped the Aggies hit the double-digit win mark with wins over Washington State and Northern New Mexico. Against Washington State, he helped the Aggies claw back from 18 points down to claim a 64-61 victory for the WAC's first power-five win of the season. He finished with a team-high 18 points and his free throws with just under two minutes left to play but the Aggies up for the remainder of the game. On Saturday, he flirted with a triple double, finishing with 19 points, seven rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
Gonsalves, a guard form Lehi, Utah, averaged 10.0 points per game on .615 shooting as the Trailblazers earned a pair of wins on the week. Opening the week at home against SAGU American Indian, he was 3-for-6 from the field for eight points, also adding three rebounds, three assists and a steal in the 114-49 win. He followed that up with 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a steal over 24 minutes in DSU's 78-69 win at North Dakota.
Other nominees included: Abilene Christian's Cameron Steele put up a career-high 18 points in a win against Howard Payne on Sunday … California Baptist's Ty Rowell led the Lancers with 11 points in a road loss at eighth-ranked Arizona … Chicago State's Dominique Alexander scored 15 of his game-high 17 points in the second half as the Cougars picked up a big road win at IUPUI on Thursday … Dixie State's Frank Staine averaged 12.0 points per game on .615 shooting as the Trailblazers picked up wins over SAGU American Indian and on the road at North Dakota … Grand Canyon's Jovan Blacksher Jr. was named MVP of GCU's win over previously-unbeaten San Francisco at the Jerry Colangelo Classic after scoring 23 points and adding four assists and four steals in the 49-48 victory … Lamar's Kasen Harrison averaged 12.5 points per game for the Cardinals as they dropped road games at Texas State and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi … Tarleton's Tahj Small averaged 20.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game as the Texans split a home-and-home with South Alabama … UT Rio Grande Valley's Marek Nelson averaged 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game as the Vaqueros fell at home to Texas Southern before picking up a road win at UTSA … Utah Valley's Le'Tre Darthard put up a career-high 30 points, adding four rebounds and a pair of steals, in the Wolverines' 107-65 win over Bethesda on Friday.
Other freshman nominees included: Abilene Christian's Ja'Sean Jackson had a career night against Howard Payne, scoring 15 points to go with eight rebounds, three steals and two assists … California Baptist's Taran Armstrong logged 34 minutes against eighth-ranked Arizona, finishing with nine points, three rebounds and three assists … Chicago State's Jahsean Corbett averaged 5.0 rebounds per game as the Cougars split a pair of games on the week … NM State's Marchelus Avery made his first career start on Saturday night and finished with 17 points to go with eight rebounds in a 93-60 win over Northern New Mexico … UT Rio Grande Valley's RayQuan Taylor scored a career-high 16 points in a loss to Texas Southern and then added a game-high nine rebounds with a steal and a block in a 68-50 win at UTSA.