Green Bay junior guard Carrington Love (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, while Oakland freshman forward Jalen Hayes (Lansing, Mich./Sexton) has been named the Freshman of the Week, for the week of Dec. 22-28.
Love picked up the first Horizon League Player of the Week accolades of his career after helping Green Bay avenge an earlier loss to Georgia State this season with a 78-61 win over on Saturday afternoon. The junior guard scored a career-high 28 points in the contest as the Phoenix pulled away for their 10th victory of the year. Love made 10-of-14 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 from long range, en route to a career-high.
GB trailed 58-57 with 5:59 remaining, but ended the game on a 21-3 run, with Love contributing eight points during the streak – to win going away.
Earlier in the week, Love scored 16 points and had a game-high seven rebounds in Green Bay’s last second loss to UC Irvine, 72-70, in the Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Championship Game.
Love has reached double figures in six-straight games, averaging 16.8 points on 52.1 percent shooting.
Green Bay (10-3) finishes non-conference season with a New Year’s Eve tilt versus Georgia State on Wednesday.
Hayes captured his second consecutive Freshman of the Week award after two strong performances on the road last week. The freshman forward started the week with a career-best four steals in Oakland’s game at Clemson. He added five points and five rebounds in the contest. On Saturday at 15th-ranked Maryland, Hayes led the Golden Grizzlies in scoring for the first time this season, finishing with 13 points as Oakland’s comeback fell short. He added seven rebounds and one assist in the game.
After its typical strong non-conference slate, Oakland opens Horizon League play on Friday with a home game against Valparaiso.
Top Performers for the Week:
Kahlil Felder, Oakland (So., G) – Felder scored 34 points in two road games at Power Five schools last week. He scored 26 of his 34 points in the second half. He had 11 assists combined in the two games and leads the country with 100 on the year.
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F) – Grady scored 14 points with seven rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots against Eastern Illinois on Tuesday.
Brandan Kearney, Detroit (Sr., G) – Kearney shot 5-of-8 from the field, finishing with a team-high 15 points in the Titans’ game at Arizona State last week.
Matt Tiby, Milwaukee (Jr., F) – Tiby averaged 15.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists in two road games last week. He has now scored in double figures in five straight outings and six of the last seven. He accounted for 15 points, three rebounds and three assists at Arkansas, then managed 15 points and a season-high 14 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, at South Dakota.
Joe Thomasson, Wright State (Jr., G) – Thomasson scored in double figures in both games for the Raiders last week. He had 13 points and three steals versus George Mason on Tuesday and had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists Saturday at 18th-ranked Ohio State.
Top Freshman for the Week:
Grant Benzinger, Wright State (Fr., G) – Benzinger hit four three-pointers, grabbed six rebounds and had two assists in Wright State’s game at 18th-ranked Ohio State on Saturday.
Daeshon Francis, Green Bay (Fr., G) – Francis scored six points on two 3-point plays during a decisive 21-3 run to defeat Georgia State on Saturday. He added two rebounds, one block and an assist in the win.
Justin Jordan, Milwaukee (Fr., G) – Jordan made his first two career starts last week for the Panthers. After totaling two points and three boards at Arkansas on Dec. 22 in his first career start, Jordan produced four points and a pair of rebounds at South Dakota on Dec. 28.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 10: Chrishawn Hopkins, Wright State
Nov. 17: Alec Peters, Valparaiso
Nov. 24: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Dec. 1: Bobby Hain, Youngstown State
Dec. 8: Jay Harris, UIC
Dec. 15: Alec Peters, Valparaiso
Dec. 22: Carrington Love, Green Bay
Men’s Basketball Freshman of the Week:
Nov. 10: Justin Jordan, Milwaukee
Nov. 17: Paris Bass, Detroit
Nov. 24: Paris Bass, Detroit
Dec. 1: Nick Daniels, Oakland
Dec. 8: Grant Benzinger, Wright State
Dec. 15: Jalen Hayes, Oakland
Dec. 22: Jalen Hayes, Oakland
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