PSAC Men's Basketball Athletes of the Week - 9

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Men's Basketball: East Athlete of the Week
Whis Grant
East Stroudsburg (Jr./ G)
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. / Plymouth Whitemarch

East Stroudsburg's Whis Grant led the No. 6 Warriors in scoring during both games last week and helped extend ESU's unbeaten streak to 18 games. Grant scored a career-high 31 points, with five rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals in a 107-94 win at West Chester. Earlier in the week against Cheyney, Grant poured-in 14 points alongside a career-high eight rebounds, three assists, and as many steals. He scored 10 of his 14 points in an East Stroudsburg 23-2 run in the final 10 minutes of the 60-44 victory. On the week the junior guard averaged 22.5 points per game, 6.5 rebounds per game, while totaling six assists and five steals. 
Men's Basketball: East Freshman of the Week
Bootsie Walker
Lock Haven (Fr./ G)
Chester, Pa. / Chester

Lock Haven's Bootsie Walker averaged 16.5 points and 10 rebounds per game in two Haven victories last week. He scored 17 points in the mid-week win over Millersville thanks to a perfect, 7-for-7 night from the free-throw line. He combined that with a 5-for-8 night from the floor, while pulling-down a game-high nine rebounds in the win. In the win over Cheyney, Walker added 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Men's Basketball: West Athlete of the Week
Maurice Lewis-Briggs
Slippery Rock (Sr./ C)
Norristown, Pa. / Norristown

Slippery Rock's Maurice Lewis-Briggs scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in a narrow loss at No. 15 IUP. Briggs also had 18 points and nine rebounds in a win over Seton Hill. The senior center sunk a pair of charity tosses with 25 seconds left to account for The Rock's final and winning points in the 72-71 win over Seton Hill. Across the two games, Briggs averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 54.3% from the field.
Men's Basketball: West Freshman of the Week
Adam Shaheen
Pitt-Johnstown (Fr. / F)
Galena, Ohio / Big Walnut

Pitt-Johnstown's Adam Shaheen played in two games this week for the Mountain Cats against Gannon and Mercyhurst. In a narriw 80-78 loss against Mercyhurst Shaheen scored 15 points, while earning one assist, three rebounds, and made 4-of-5 of his free throws.

TEAM NOTES

 Bloomsburg
The Huskies stand at 10-7 overall and 6-2 in PSAC East play after splitting a pair of games this week. Bloomsburg defeated Mansfield, 86-70, on Wednesday behind 19 points from Lorenzo Christmas and double-doubles from Alssene Saintilus (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Dontahe Jordan (10 points, 11 rebounds). Bloomsburg then dropped a 72-61 final at Kutztown on Saturday with Charles Haigler leading the way with 17 points. Christmas moved into second all-time in school history for 3-pointers made this week, now with 207 in his career. The Huskies travel to Millersville on Wednesday before hosting Lock Haven on Saturday.
 
California (Pa.)
Cal U finished the first round of divisional play tied for sixth in the PSAC West standings and three games back of first place. The Vulcans suffered a 56-46 loss on Alumni Day in their first-ever meeting with Seton Hill on Saturday. Cal U posted its worst shooting percentage in five years against the Griffins, making just 28.6 percent (12-of-42) from the field. In the loss, sophomore guard Jake Jacubec was held scoreless for the first time this season after averaging 15.7 points over the previous six games. The Vulcans open the second round of league play against two teams tied for first place in the divisional standings – Gannon and Slippery Rock. Cal U has posted a 4-1 record at home against Gannon since the Golden Knights joined the PSAC, while The Rock boasts a 9-3 mark against the Vulcans over the last six years.
 
Cheyney
The Wolves have now dropped 10 straight and look to snap the skid with a mid-week tilt against cross town rival West Chester. Last week the Wolves put a real scare on #6 East Stroudsburg. The Wolves owned a two point advantage midway through the second half but could not hang on. Junior Calvin Brown turned in one of his best performances of the season scoring 20 points while grabbing 10 rebounds. On Saturday the Wolves fell to Lock Haven despite a career high 16 points from Mike Drinks. The hot shooting Eagles proved too much to handle as the Eagles made 56% (23-41) of their field goals. It was the fifth time this season that a team shot 50% or better from the field against Cheyney. The Wolves only grabbed 23 rebounds, a season low, against Lock Haven. This week the Wolves host West Chester on Wednesday before traveling to Shippensburg on Saturday.
 
Clarion
Senior Mike Kromka is the 10th player at Clarion since the 1970-71 season to record 800 career points (835) and 600 career rebounds (646). He is the fourth Ron Righter-recruited player to do so joining David Shearer, Marvin Wells and Paul McQueen. Clarion had one of its best offensive game of the season in a loss to Edinboro Saturday shooting a season-high 48.7 percent while having two players (DeMarius Miller - 26 and Marques Jones - 20) score at least 20 points. That was the 1st time since mid-2012 the Golden Eagles have had two players reach 20 points in the same game. For Miller, it was his 5th 20-point game of the season, while Jones topped 20 for the first time this year
 
East Stroudsburg
ESU (18-0, 8-0), ranked No. 6 in last week's NABC DII poll (highest in school history), had outstanding defensive and offensive performances last week to remain one of 4 undefeated teams in DII. 12th-year head coach Jeff Wilson earned his 200th career win (currently 201-127) with 60-44 win vs Cheyney on Wednesday. Cheyney's 44 points are tied for the fewest by a PSAC opponent in Wilson's 12 years. ESU won 107-94 at West Chester on Saturday, its most points vs. a PSAC school under Wilson. All-America Jr. G Whis Grant scored career-high 31 points at West Chester, including going 7-for-7 (4-for-4 on 3's) in the 1st half. ESU led 61-54 at halftime - also its most 1st-half points vs. a PSAC school under Wilson. Warriors won with huge 2nd-half runs in both games - a 23-2 run against Cheyney, and finishing with a 22-3 run at West Chester (trailed 91-85 with 5:38left). Grant had his 3rd career 30-point game and moved into a tie for 13th on ESU's career scoring list (1,242). He also ranks 2nd in career 3-pointers (169) and 8th in steals (130). Fr. F Rasheed Moore continues to shine, tying his career-high with 24 points at West Chester. Grant and Moore combined for 55 points, ESU's most under Wilson. Jr. G Matt Tobin (16 points, 10 assists) had 10+ assists for the 3rd time in 5 games and his 2nd double-double. Tobin leads PSAC with 5.7 assists per game (only player averaging more than 4), and 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio. ESU's 18-0 start is the PSAC's best since 1994-95, when IUP opened 21-0, and is also the PSAC's longest win streak since then. Warriors are tied for the longest current win streak in DII with #2 Florida Southern. ESU has won 16 of its 18 games by 10+ points, including all 8 PSAC East games. Warriors lead PSAC in 7 categories, including top-5 national rankings in turnover margin (+8.0), steals (10.9) and scoring margin (+20.1). ESU's 87.9 ppg including six 100-point games, the most in school history. ESU has 997 all-time wins entering this week - including 100-37 since the start of the 2009-10 season. Warriors are at Mansfield Wednesday, host Kutztown Saturday.
 
Edinboro
The Fighting Scots earned their first PSAC West victory of the season with an 81-74 win at Clarion on Saturday night, after dropping a close contest to 15th-ranked Indiana (Pa.) at home on Wednesday, 69-66. Against Clarion, Edinboro held onto a 44-27 halftime advantage, fueled by a 17-0 run to close out the opening period to capture the win. The Fighting Scots also won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Clarion 47-27, including 19-3 on offensive boards. Johnathan Logan paced the Fighting Scots with 18 points on six of eight shooting for the night, including three of four from behind the arc, while Bryan Theriot added 17 markers. On Wednesday, Edinboro possessed a 61-60 lead with just over two minutes remaining, before visiting IUP scored nine straight points to seal a win at McComb Fieldhouse. Alex Moore notched his first career double-double against the Hawks, posting a season-high 11 points and career-high 12 rebounds. Xavier Churnac and Henri Wade-Chatman led the Fighting Scots with 15 points each. Bryan Theriot saw his streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games end at 19 contests against IUP, as the senior notched five points. The Fighting Scots host Pitt-Johnstown this Saturday afternoon.
 
Gannon
Gannon extended its season-best win streak to five games with a 72-59 victory against Pitt-Johnstown during its only action of the week. The Golden Knights were idle last Saturday, becoming the last PSAC Western Division team to receive its bye.  The Gannon-UPJ contest was the first meeting between the two clubs since a 76-53 Gannon victory during the first round of the 2009 NCAA Division II Tournament at the Hammermill Center. Junior Adam Blazek led all scorers with 21 points, topping the 20-point plateau for the sixth time this season and 15th time during his career. Senior C.J. Oldham exploded for a career-high 17 points and seven rebounds, netting 15 of his points during the first half when he was 7-of-8 from the field.  Gannon out-rebounded UPJ 31-21 and has out-rebounded all 18 opponents this year. The Golden Knights enter the final round of PSAC Western Division play in a four-way tie for first place.
 
IUP
IUP will have a busy week. On Wednesday the 29th they will be traveling to play Pitt-Johnstown and on February 2nd Clarion will be making a trip to IUP.
 
Kutztown
The Golden Bears (6-12, 4-4 PSAC East) have built their first winning streak of the season, and are coming of their biggest win of the season. Kutztown overcame a 21-point deficit to Bloomsburg on Saturday, and came back with a 39-11 run and outscored BU 65-33 over the final 30:48 to earn an 11-point victory over the second-ranked team in the East. Kutztown also defeated Shippensburg last week, as defense has been fantastic for KU. It has held opponents to less than 70 points in three straight games. Freshman Josh Johnson led the team in scoring last week, and averages 12.3 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the field, third in the PSAC. Sophomore Tracy Peal posts a team-leading 15.3 points per clip and 5.7 rebounds. Freshman point guard Austin Beidelman also averages double figures at 10.2 per game. Kutztown has off on Wednesday, but has a week to prepare for sixth-ranked and undefeated East Stroudsburg on the road on Saturday.
 
Lock Haven
The Lock Haven University men’s basketball team won its fourth straight game on Saturday at Cheyney. It marks Lock Haven’s first four-game win streak since the 2000-01 season. LHU hasn’t won five straight since the team started 9-0 in 1989-90. The Bald Eagles, who won six games all of last season are now 12-6 overall and 5-3 in PSAC East play. Lock Haven sits tied with preseason favorite West Chester in third in the standings. Both teams have identical records. The Haven’s 12 wins are the most since LHU won 12 (12-15 overall) in 2006-07. Lock Haven hasn’t won 13 games since ’94-95. Standout Wali Hepburn had another big week for LHU. He averaged 20 points in the Bald Eagles two wins. He’s now averaging 21.8 points per game for the season and took over the PSAC scoring lead with his game-high 18 points at Cheyney. Last week (1/20) Hepburn and rookie Bootsie Walker swept the PSAC East weekly awards. Hepburn was named the PSAC East Player of the Week, while Walker was named the PSAC East Freshman of the Week. On the year, Walker is averaging 13 points a game as he picks up his play. Senior Kasheef Festus, the third piece to Lock Haven’s dominate Big Three is averaging 13 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds per game.
 
Mansfield
The Mountaineers played just once this week and ended the first half of the PSAC East season with a 2-6 mark putting them two games out of a PSAC East playoff berth. Last week's game against Bloomsburg was the first all season the Mountaineers had a fully healthy lineup. In Mansfield's four wins this season they have shot 36.7% on 3-point attempts while holding opponents to 42.1%.  In the Mountaineers 14 losses they have shot 27.5% of their 3's to their opponents 46.4%.
 
Mercyhurst
Mercyhurst won twice to move into a first-place tie in the Western Division at the halfway point of the conference schedule. Beating Clarion, 61-54, on January 22, ending the contest on an 18-10 run to overtake the Golden Eagles. Jonathan Ouegnin scored 13 points and Anthony Lytle added 12 points. At UPJ January 25, Andy Hoying hit the game-winning jumper with 1.9 seconds left to give the Lakers an 80-78 road with. The point total is a season high for Mercyhurst, who shot 50 percent from the field. Hoying scored a career-high 17 points, while Lytle registered 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Lakers continue their three-game road trip with a stop at Seton Hill on Wednesday night. Mercyhurst beat the Griffins, 79-74, at the MAC earlier this season.
 
Millersville
Millersville scored back-to-back PSAC East wins, pulling its divisional record even at 3-3 and its overall record to within one win of .500. Millersville's win over Cheyney was its first road win of the season in eight tries. The win over Kutztown improved the team to 6-1 at home. Despite winning by just four points in both games, the Marauders led Cheyney by 22 and Kutztown by as many as 27. The Marauders are 5-2 over the last seven games, with both losses coming by single digits on the road. In the five wins, the Marauders have led each game by as few as 19 points and by as many as 42. Millersville played 13 players in both games. Tavon Parker was the lone Marauder to score in double figures in both. The freshman has scored in double figures in six consecutive games--a feat that hasn't been accomplished by a Marauder rookie since 2010.
 
Pitt-Johnstown
Pitt-Johnstown has two contests coming up this week. On Wednesday the 29th IUP will be making a visit to Johnstown and on February 1st UPJ will be making the trip to Edinboro.
 
Seton Hill
Seton Hill will be on the road for both contests this week on Wednesday the 29th they will be heading to Mercyhurst College and on February 2nd this will be visiting Gannon.
 
Shippensburg
SHIP was bested in conference play this week by Kutztown and Millersville. Sophomore Joe Lococo is averaging 19.8 ppg, fourth-best in the PSAC, and 2.1 spg, fifth-best in the PSAC. Redshirt-freshman Marcus Williams is averaging 8.2 rpg, third-best in the PSAC, and 1.8 bpg, sixth-best in the PSAC. Shippensburg's five leading scorers are either freshmen or sophomores as SU's underclassmen have 
totaled all but two of the team's 85 starts this season.
 
Slippery Rock
Rock finished first half of PSAC West schedule tied for first place in the division standings. Sr. C Maurice Lewis-Briggs led The Rock effort last week with 47 points (23.5 per game) and 21 (10.5 per game) rebounds in two games. Lewis-Briggs canned two free throws with 0:25 left to account for winning points in 72-71 win over Seton Hill and had 29 points, 12 rebounds in two-point loss at defending conference champion and #15-ranked Indiana. 34-16 disadvantage in FT shots (27-9 in makes) severely hampered Rock's chances for victory at Indiana. Rock have assured themselves of a sixth consecutive winning season in as many campaigns under head coach Kevin Reynolds. Rock open final stretch of PSAC West schedule with road game at Clarion and home date with California (Pa.)
 
West Chester
Troy Hockaday led WCU with 28, but East Stroudsburg remained undefeated outlasting the hosts 107-94. Shannon Givens had 20 for the Golden Rams, who lost for the second consecutive home contest to fall to 5-3 in the East. West Chester travels to cross town rival Cheyney on Wednesday, and hosts Mansfield on Saturday in a pair of eastern division matchups to start the conferences second