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BAY CITY, Mich. - Michigan Technological University junior forward Ali Haidar (Windsor, Ont./Forster) and Ashland University junior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) have been chosen as the GLIAC Men's Basketball North and South Division "Players of the Week", respectively.
GLIAC North Division Player
of the Week:
Ali Haidar
Michigan Tech
6-7, Junior, Forward
Windsor, Ont./Forster
Michigan Tech junior forward Ali Haidar averaged 17.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks in a pair of Huskies' home victories over the weekend against Ohio Dominican and Tiffin. Haidar tallied 15 points and 13 rebounds and career-highs of five steals, and four blocks shooting 6-of-9 from the field against Ohio Dominican. In the win over Tiffin, Haidar recorded 20 points, 11 boards and a career-high five steals. For the weekend, he shot 65.0 percent from the field (13-of-20).
North Division Weekly Honor
Roll: Kenny Brown - FS, Nick Waddell - GV, Haki
Stampley - NM, Bobby Lewis - NU.
2011-12 North Division "Players of the
Week": (11/15) B. Lewis - NU; (11/21) C. Webb
- SV; (11/28) K. Brown - FS; (12/5) J. Thomas - GV; (12/12) A.
Haidar - MT.
GLIAC South Division Player
of the Week:
Evan Yates
Ashland
6-6, Junior, Foward
Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills
Ashland junior forward Evan Yates averaged 26.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 1.0 steal per game in leading the Eagles to a 2-0 week. Yates posted a double-double in both games and shot 78.6 percent (22-for-28) from the field. He is the GLIAC leader in scoring (21.1) and rebounding (14.4) and is second in blocked shots (2.1) and field goal percentage (.633). Yates has a double-double in all but one of his games played and has reached double-digit rebound totals in every game.
South Division Weekly Honor Roll: Kyle Caiola - UF, Tyler Gerber - HC, Bobby Stauffer - OD, Ian Larkin - WS.
2011-12 South Division "Players of the Week": (11/15) T.Spahr - TU; (11/21) K. Finley - TU; (11/28) I. Udanoh - WS; (12/5) N. Washburn - HC; (12/12) E. Yates - AU.
Ashland Eagles
The Eagles never trailed on their
way to a 2-0 record last week with home wins over Wilberforce and
Lake Erie. AU won those games by a combined 40 points. Junior
forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) led the Eagles
averaging 26 points, 12 rebounds, 2.5 assists, two blocks and one
steal per game. He also shot 78.6 percent from the field. Yates has
a double-double in all but one of his games played this season and
has recorded double-digit rebounding totals in each game this
season. He is the GLIAC leader in scoring (21.1) and rebounding
(14.4) and is second in field goal percentage (.633) and blocked
shots (2.1). The Eagles shot over 50 percent from the field in each
game and held both opponents to under 38 percent shooting from the
field. Against Wilberforce, the Eagles recorded a season-high 25
assists on 35 field goals. Eight players recorded multiple assists
in the game, led by redshirt-freshman guard Jorian Hudson
(Cincinnati, Ohio/University of Cincinnati), who had six. Against
the Storm, the Eagles shot a season-high 53.8 percent from the
field. Yates poured in 24 points and pulled down 14 rebounds with
three blocks and three assists. Junior guard Ronnie Steward
(Columbus, Ohio/Akron) had 14 points in the game, including two
3-pointers. The Eagles travel to Hillsdale on Saturday for their
only game this week.
Ferris State Bulldogs
The Ferris State University
men’s basketball team rallied from a 21-point second half
deficit to stun Northwood by a 69-64 score on Saturday (Dec.10)
evening at the Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich. Junior guard
Kenny Brown (Farmington Hills/Harrison) fueled the FSU comeback
with a game-high 29 points in the outing, including a five-of-12
showing from the three-point line. Freshman guard Dietrich
Lever (Detroit/Canton) added 10 points for Ferris State in capping
the comeback win. FSU shot 53.1% in the second half after shooting
only 22.6% in the initial 20 minutes. They also forced 13
Northwood turnovers and held a 18-3 edge in offensive boards. The
Bulldogs improved to 53-24 all-time versus NU with the victory in
Saturday’s 75th series’ meeting and the win was the
13th for FSU head coach Bill Sall in 20 career matchups against the
Timberwolves. Ferris State has beat Northwood 11th times in
the last 15 games between the two schools. Ferris State returns
home to host Michigan Tech in league play on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 3
p.m. (ET) inside FSU’s Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids.
The Bulldogs then face Northern Michigan the following day (Dec.
19) at 7 p.m.(ET) in a conference home game.
Findlay
Oilers
The Oilers went 1-1 last week,
losing 75-69 on the road to Hillsdale on Thursday and winning 75-63
at home against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday. In the loss
to Hillsdale, senior guard Kyle Caiola scored a season-high 20
points. He then followed with 18 points in the win over
Saginaw Valley State. Sophomore guard Sean Samsel came off
the bench to score a career-high 13 points in the Oilers win over
Saginaw Valley State while sophomore forward Mark Frilling grabbed
a career-high 12 rebounds. The loss to Hillsdale snapped a
23-game winning streak over the Chargers. The Oilers have now
won 68 straight GLIAC home games dating back to the 2003-04
campaign.
Grand Valley State Lakers
Senior center Nick Waddell has put
up double-doubles in two of his last three contests, notching a
career-high 21 points and 11 rebounds in a 62-53 victory over
Rochester on Saturday afternoon. That outing came two games after a
20-point, 12-rebound effort in a win at Tiffin on Dec. 3…the
Lakers outrebounded Northwood and Rochester by an average 11.0
rebounds per game (35-24). GVSU totaled 27 offensive rebounds in
the two games to just seven total offensive boards for its
opponents…despite a tough shooting week from outside the arc
(just eight three-pointers at a 23.5 percentage), Grand Valley
State is still shooting a GLIAC-best 42.4 percent from three-point
range this season, making 59-of-139 triple tries. The Lakers also
lead the league in rebounding margin (+5.7) and fewest rebounds
allowed per game (26.7).
Hillsdale Chargers
The Hillsdale College men’s
basketball team ran its winning streak to four games last week,
notching home wins over Findlay and Lake Superior
State…Thursday’s 75-69 win over the Oilers was
remarkable for the Chargers in many ways, starting with the fact it
was Hillsdale’s first over Findlay since Jan. 24, 2002, a
span of nearly 10 full years…The Chargers built a 26-2 lead
in that game, only to see the Oilers slice that lead to as little
as three points before pulling away with the win…Hillsdale
is now 6-42 all-time vs. Findlay…Hillsdale held Findlay, the
GLIAC’s highest-scoring team, to 15 first-half points in the
win…The Chargers continue to have the top scoring defense in
the conference, allowing just 56.9 points per game…Opponents
are shooting just 37 percent against Hillsdale, also the top figure
in the conference…Hillsdale is 44-10 in its last 54 games,
dating back to January 2010…As a team, the Chargers have had
more assists and blocked shots than their opponents in all nine
games this season…Hillsdale does not have a player ranked in
the top 10 in the GLIAC I scoring or rebounding, yet has the best
overall winning percentage in the conference…Hillsdale plays
its final game before Christmas this Saturday, wrapping up the
season series with Ashland with a home contest.
Lake Erie Storm
Lake Erie is still in search of its first conference win of the campaign as it fell in its lone contest of the week, 73-54, at Ashland on Sunday. The Eagles shot 53.8% (28-of-52) from the field while the Storm made a season-low 31.4% of their shots. Turnovers also hampered Lake Erie as they committed 19. The Storm was led by sophomore guard Riley Thomas (Cardington, Ohio/Cardington-Lincoln) with a season-high 14 points, going four-of-five on three pointers. Senior guard Brandon Smith (Bedford, Ohio/Bedford/Cuyahoga Community College) also reached double figures with 10 points, spurred on by an eight-of-eight day at the foul line. It was a quiet game for sophomore center Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) but he still leads the team with 12.6 ppg. and 7.3 rpg. Lake Erie will return to action Saturday with its final game before the holidays at Northwood University.
Lake Superior State Lakers
LSSU hopes to snap a four-game
losing skid when it plays Saturday’s rematch against Saginaw
Valley State. The Lakers lost their GLIAC opener at SVSU, 82-80, on
Dec. 1. Saturday’s contest is their GLIAC home opener. They
are 1-0 in Bud Cooper Gymnasium and have played seven straight
games on the road. In conference play, senior guard Kyle Hunt
(Macomb, Mich.) is tied for sixth in scoring at 17.3 points per
game and is eighth in average assists per game (3.3), while junior
forward Derek Kinney (Romulus, Mich.) is fifth in field-goal
percentage (.619). Sophomore guard Derek Billing (Anna, Ohio) is
sixth in average three-point field goals per game (2.3) and seventh
in three-point field-goal percentage (.538). Starting center
Cameron Metz (Grand Rapids, Mich.) missed Saturday’s game due
to injury. He averages 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Tech defeated a pair of
GLIAC foes this week Ohio Dominican (74-36) and Tiffin (72-56) to
remain undefeated in GLIAC play (3-0). Junior Ali Haidar has posted
a double-double in his last three games for the Huskies. Against
ODU he tied his career-high in assists with four and posted
career-highs in both blocks (four) and steals (five). Senior Mike
Hojnacki scored 21 points over the two games and is currently 18th
in career scoring at Michigan Tech with 1,083 career points. The
Huskies are allowing just 48.6 points per game in league play
compared to 68.2 points in non-conference games. Michigan Tech
leads the GLIAC in defensive rebounds (27.0 per game) but ranks
last in offensive rebounds (7.3 per game). Tech will play at Div. I
foe Green Bay Tuesday (Dec. 13) before playing its first conference
road games of the season at Ferris State Sunday (Dec. 18) and Grand
Valley State (Dec. 19).
Northern Michigan Wildcats
The Northern
Michigan men’s basketball team is now 4-4, 2-1 on the season
following am 83-75 win over Tiffin (Dec. 8) and an 81-69 victory
over Ohio Dominican (Dec. 10)…Freshman guard Haki Stampley
led the Wildcats during the week with 48 points, three assists and
four steals…Stampley scored a career high 29 points in the
win over Ohio Dominican…Senior guard DeAndre Taylor also
averaged 16.5 points 8.5 rebounds during the week…NMU ranks
sixth in the conference in offensive output with 72.9 points per
game…The ‘Cats rank fifth in field goal percentage at
.466 percent…NMU ranks first in 3-point field goal
percentage defense allowing only 38 total and an average of .304
percent…Haki Stampley ranks sixth in scoring averaging 16.8
points per contest and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage
with .489 percent…NMU returns to the road this week
traveling to Grand Valley State on (Dec. 18).
Northwood Timberwolves
Northwood posted a 1-1 record last week, defeating Grand Valley
State 64-44 before falling to Ferris State 69-64 … the
Timberwolves are now 5-4 overall, 2-2 in the GLIAC … NU
snapped a 14-game losing streak to GVSU with the win over the
Lakers Tuesday … the last win for Northwood over Grand
Valley came February 19, 2004 … the Northwood women’s
team also defeated GVSU that night, giving NU its first sweep over
the Lakers in a GLIAC doubleheader since November 28, 2001 …
Bobby Lewis (Saginaw, Mich./Mott CC) led the way for the
Timberwolves, averaging 15.5 points per game … he shot 57.1
percent from the floor (8-14), 62.5 percent from 3-point range
(5-8) and 83.3 percent from the foul line (10-12) … for the
season, Lewis is shooting 52.6 percent from the floor (50-95), 41.9
percent from 3-point range (13-31) and 82.9 percent from the foul
line (34-41) … Northwood will host Lake Erie Saturday
(December 17).
Ohio Dominican Panthers
The Panthers saw their losing skid
reach five straight with a pair of road setbacks to Michigan Tech
and Northern Michigan over the weekend…ODU’s offense
struggled to get untracked, shooting 36.0 percent (41-of-114) from
the field and just 2-of-28 (.071 percent) from three-point
range…ODU had made at least one three in 47 straight games
before failing to make one against Michigan Tech, and the last time
the Panthers failed to score 40 points in a game was Nov. 27, 2002
at Miami (Ohio)…Freshman forward Bobby Stauffer (Lexington,
Ky.) came off the bench to average 12.5 points on 9-of-12 shooting
and 5.5 rebounds in 21 minutes of action last week. He also hit
7-of-8 free throws…Senior forward Aaron Gibbs (Oberlin,
Ohio) averaged 12.5 points and junior guard Morgan Jones (Oberlin,
Ohio) averaged 11.5 points per game…ODU continues its
season-long six-game road trip with visits to Wayne State on
Thursday and Findlay on Saturday.
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
The Saginaw Valley State University
men’s basketball team went 0-2 this past week to fall to 4-5
over and 1-2 in the conference. The Cardinals dropped their first
game on Thursday against Wayne State, 79-43. On Saturday, SVSU was
unable to hold onto a second half lead and fell to Findlay, 75-63.
Junior Brett Beland led the way against Wayne State with 12 points,
including 5-of-5 from the free throw line. Greg Foster posted a
game-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 13 rebounds against
Findlay on Saturday. Michael Fugate also dropped in 12 points on
3-of-4 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe.
Chris Webb leads SVSU in scoring with 16.3 points per game, while
Foster ranks second at 15.6 points. Through nine games, the
Cardinals are shooting .418 from the floor and .753 from the line.
Beland leads the GLIAC in free throw percentage at a 92.6 clip on
25-of-27 shooting from the line. SVSU ranks third in the GLIAC in
team free throw percentage at 75.3 percent. Saginaw Valley will
return to action on Saturday (Dec. 17) when they travel to Lake
Superior State for a 3:00 PM tip.
Tiffin Dragons
In the loss to Michigan Tech, Joe
Graessle led the Dragons with 23 points…Joe Graessle has hit
at least one 3-pointer in 36 consecutive games, in fact he has hit
one in every collegiate game of his career…Graessle is now
8th in TU history with 105 made triples.
Wayne State Warriors
Wayne State
extended its winning streak to six games by posting a convincing
79-43 win in Detroit over Saginaw Valley in its lone game last week
… junior forward Ian Larkin (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance)
scored a career-high 21 points while contributing seven rebounds
and six blocked shots … the 43 points allowed by WSU was the
fewest by an opponent since a 60-40 triumph over Central State on
Feb. 8, 2005, and the fewest by a conference opponent since a 75-42
Warrior victory at Northern Michigan on Jan. 14, 2002 … for
the sixth straight game, senior center Ike Udanoh (Detroit, Mich. /
Warren Woods Tower) led WSU in rebounding with his fifth
double-double of the campaign … Udanoh tallied 15 points and
10 rebounds in the win … Wayne State shot a season-best 65
percent (32-of-49) in the win vs. SVSU, while posting a season-high
nine blocked shots … sophomore Gerald Williams-Taylor
(Flint, Mich. / Northern) made all six of his shots against the
Cardinals (four field goals and two foul shots) and is shooting 89
percent (8-of-9) from the charity stripe and 74 percent (20-of-27)
from the floor.