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 Tarleton's Noah McDavid have been named TicketSmarter WAC Men's Basketball Freshman of the Week for January 24 through January 30.
Allen, a junior guard from Phoenix, put the Aggies on his back on Saturday night, scoring 28 points and bringing down 12 rebounds in NMSU's 71-61 win over Grand Canyon. In addition to shooting 8-for-11 from the field, he was a perfect 12-for-12 on free throws to help ice the game. Defensively, his 12 rebounds are a career-best and he added a pair of assists, a steal and a block in the winning effort. On the season, Allen is averaging 18.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game and his .887 free throw percentage leads the WAC.
McDavid, a guard from Dallas, helped the Texans even their WAC record with a pair of road wins at Lamar and UT Rio Grande Valley. At Lamar, he finished the night with 11 points, adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal in a 62-57 win. He followed that up three days later with eight points, three rebounds and an assist in the Texans' 79-64 win at UT Rio Grande Valley. In his freshman campaign, McDavid has started every WAC game at guard.
Other nominees included: Abilene Christian's Airion Simmons hit the game-winner against UTRGV to cap a 12-point comeback and finished the week averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game … Chicago State's Dominique Alexander scored 23 points, including a perfect 7-for-7 on free throws, in the Cougars' 101-87 loss to Utah Valley … Dixie State's Hunter Schofield posted his fourth-straight 20-plus point night with 23 points in a 79-65 win at Chicago State on Saturday … Grand Canyon's Holland Woods II scored 23 points and brought down five rebounds in the Lopes' 71-61 loss at NM State … Lamar's Kasen Harrison averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 assists per game as the Cardinals lost a pair of close games to Tarleton and Abilene Christian … Sam Houston's Savion Flagg put up 28 points with eight rebounds and three assists as the Bearkats earned a 73-68 win at California Baptist on Wednesday night … Seattle U's Riley Grigsby helped the Redhawks stay undefeated in WAC play, averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in wins over Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston … Stephen F. Austin's Gavin Kensmil dropped a career-high 37 points in the Jacks' 81-77 win at California Baptist on Saturday … Tarleton's Freddy Hicks set a career-high with 29 points in the Texans' 79-64 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday … UT Rio Grande Valley's Justin Johnson posted a pair of 20-plus point games, averaging 22.5 points per game in home losses to Abilene Christian and Tarleton … Utah Valley's Connor Harding scored 18 points, including four three-pointers, in the Wolverines' 101-87 win at Chicago State on Thursday night.
Other freshman nominees included: Abilene Christian's Ja'Sean Jackson scored eight points in just 14 minutes to help the Wildcats come back to beat UT Rio Grande Valley, 87-85, on Wednesday night … Chicago State's Jahsean Corbett put up 16 points with seven rebounds in the Cougars' 79-65 loss to Dixie State on Saturday … Lamar's Brock McClure averaged 9.6 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in the Cardinals' home losses to Tarleton and Abilene Christian … Seattle U's Vas Pandža averaged 9.5 points per game on .667 shooting to help the Redhawks remain undefeated in league play and atop the WAC standings … UT Rio Grande Valley's Rayquan Taylor scored 14 points and added six rebounds and three blocks a the Vaqueros nearly knocked off Abilene Christian on Wednesday night.