Click here for printer-friendly (PDF) version of release

BAY CITY, Mich. - Lake Superior State University senior guard Kyle Hunt (Macomb, Mich./Henry Ford II) and Ashland University junior point guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio./Univ. of Akron) 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:
Kyle Hunt
Lake Superior State
6-3, Senior, Guard
Macomb, Mich./Henry Ford II

Senior guard Kyle Hunt was 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range, 13-of-15 at the free-throw line and averaged 19.5 points per game to lead LSSU to a split during last week’s home games against Ferris State and Grand Valley State. He made a long three-pointer at 18:44 of the second half to extend LSSU’s three-point halftime lead to six points, and hit another one at 16:12 as LSSU opened the second half with an 8-1 run. He scored 13 second-half points against GVSU.  Hunt is currently tied for first in the GLIAC in minutes played (34.6).

North Division Weekly Honor Roll:  Kenny Brown - FS, Nick Waddell - GV, Ali Haidar - MT, Bobby Lewis - NU, Bret Beland - SV.

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; (12/20) N. Waddell - GV; (1/3) B. Hogan - GV; (1/9) K. Hunt - LS.

GLIAC South Division Player of the Week:
Ronnie Steward
Ashland
5-11, Junior, Point Guard
Columbus, Ohio/Univ. of Akron

Junior guard Ronnie Steward led the Eagles to a pair of wins last week, averaging 23 points per game. He poured in a career-high 31 points to lead the Eagles to a 94-80 win over No. 17 Findlay on Thursday. Steward was 6-for-9 from the field, and was 16-for-17 from the line, including 16 in a row. On Saturday, he scored 15 points in a win over Urbana. He shot 95.5 percent (21-for-22) from the line in the two games, while shooting 61.1 percent (11-for-18) from the field. Steward recorded just two turnovers in 71 minutes of action .

South Division Weekly Honor Roll: Jake Heagen - UF, Brad Guinane - HC, Brandon Smith - LE, Morgan Jones - OD, Karl Finley - TU, Ike Udanoh - 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; (12/20) C. Prophet - WS; (1/3) B. Guinane - HC; (1/9) R. Steward - AU.

Ashland Eagles

The Eagles were 2-0 last week to bump their record above the .500 mark for just the second time this season. On Saturday, the Eagles upset No. 17 Findlay, 94-80, in a GLIAC South matchup at Kates Gymnasium... Junior guard Ronnie Steward (Columbus, Ohio/Akron) converted his first 16 free throws in the game on his way to a career-high 31 points. The last time an AU player scored more than that was in the 2007-08 season. Steward also knocked down three 3-pointers and was 6-for-9 from the field. The Eagles had five players score in double figures. Junior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) had 20 points and sophomore forward Will Evans (Lexington, Ky./Christian Academy) had 19 points and eight rebounds. He averaged 16.5 points and eight rebounds last week. The win snapped an eight-game losing skid to the Oilers. On Saturday, the Eagles over-powered Urbana in the second half for a 71-56 win at Kates Gymnasium. Yates had 21 points and 12 rebounds – he is the GLIAC’s leader in scoring and started the week as the nation’s leading rebounder.

Ferris State Bulldogs

FSU split two league road games last week as the Bulldogs beat Lake Superior State 64-58 on Thursday (Jan. 5) before falling at Saginaw Valley State by a 79-59 score on Saturday (Jan. 7)... In Thursday’s game at LSSU, the Bulldogs trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and were down 31-25 at the break before outscoring the Lakers 39-27 in the second half. Junior guard Kenny Brown (Farmington Hills/Harrison) led FSU with 21 points while senior forward Jerrell Sanders (Grand Rapids/Creston) added 16 points... On Saturday, SVSU led just 26-23 at halftime, but tallied 53 points in the second half to hand the Bulldogs only their second league loss of the year. FSU was led by Kenny Brown’s game-high 23 points, but he was the lone Bulldog player to reach double-digits... Ferris State is currently tied for second place in the GLIAC North Division standings and only a half-game behind divisional leader Michigan Tech.

Findlay Oilers

The Oilers split a pair of GLIAC games last week, losing 94-80 at Ashland and winning 68-63 against Wayne State.  The win over Wayne State at home on Saturday extended their home winning streak against GLIAC opponents to 71 games.  In the loss to Ashland, sophomore forward Greg Kahlig led the way with 20 points while freshman forward Jake Heagen contributed 13 points off the bench.  In the win over the Warriors, senior guard Kyle Caiola tied a season-high with 20 points while junior forward Brad Piehl contributed 15.  Heagen also turned in 13 points in the victory as well.  On the season, Kahlig is leading the team with a 14.0 points per game average.  Caiola is scoring 13.2 points per contest while Piehl is chipping in 11.5 points per outing.

 

Grand Valley State Lakers

GVSU had its best defensive outing of the season in a 53-39 victory at Saginaw Valley State on Thursday night. It was the lowest point total allowed by the Lakers since giving up 38 points in consecutive games against Lake Superior State and Northwood on Jan. 8 and Jan. 12, 2011…senior center Nick Waddell (Chicago, Ill.) notched his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds in the win over SVSU. The 13 rebounds for Waddell are a career-high figure…junior point guard Breland Hogan (Detroit, Mich.), last week’s GLIAC North Division Player of the Week, led the team with 12.5 points per game, as he tallied a game-high 16 points in the victory over the Cardinals. Hogan scored 11 points in the game’s final 5:53 to help GVSU pull away from Saginaw Valley State…the Lakers return to Allendale for their only home games of January, taking on Northwood at 8:00 on Wednesday night, followed by a Saturday night meeting with Hillsdale at 8:00 p.m. GVSU is 5-1 at home this season.

Hillsdale Chargers

Hillsdale College ran its winning streak to nine in a row with a pair of tough home wins over key South Division opponents… Thursday’s home win over Wayne State was huge for Hillsdale, given the fact that the Warriors swept three meetings from the Chargers in 2010-11…Hillsdale held Wayne State without a field goal over the final 10:12 of the game, and scored the game’s final nine points…The Chargers have won nine in a row over Tiffin since the Dragons joined the GLIAC at the start of the 2008-09 season…Senior Brent Eaton scored nine points Saturday, and stands just four away from 1,000 for his career …Hillsdale remains the only team in the GLIAC to allow fewer than 60 points per game and is the only team in the league to hold teams to a field goal percentage of under 40 percent, both stats leading the league…Junior Ryan Choiniere was an impact player for the team Saturday, registering a plus-16 to lead the team off the bench…The Chargers will now play their next three games on the road, all against winning teams (Wayne State, Grand Valley State, Findlay).

Lake Erie Storm

Lake Erie (7-5, 2-3 GLIAC) went 2-0 on the week with a home victory over non-conference Urbana and its second straight road win in conference play over Ohio Dominican.  The Storm has now won four of their last five contests and is over .500 for the first time this late in a season in their four years as a member of NCAA Division II.  Five Lake Erie players scored in double figures as the Storm overcame an eight-point second half deficit in a 77-68 victory over Urbana.  Senior guard Brandon Smith (Bedford, Ohio/Bedford/Cuyahoga Community College) led Lake Erie with 15 points and a season-high eight rebounds... Lake Erie never trailed en route to a 71-57 win over Ohio Dominican Saturday.  Sophomore guard Riley Thomas (Cardington, Ohio/Cardington-Lincoln) led with 16 points on six-of-nine shooting.  Guard play was the key to the win for the Storm as 56 of their 71 points came from the backcourt.   Lake Erie is home for its next four games as it faces Findlay Thursday and Tiffin Saturday.

Lake Superior State Lakers

Senior guard Kyle Hunt (Macomb, Mich.) was 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range and averaged 19.5 points per game to lead LSSU to a split during last week’s home games against Ferris State and Grand Valley State. Hunt is ranked sixth in the GLIAC in scoring, averaging 17.0 points per game (15.7 ppg overall). Sophomore guard Derek Billing (Anna, Ohio) scored a team-leading 19 points during last Saturday’s 69-57 victory over GVSU. Billing’s total was a season-high against GLIAC competition. Billing is ranked 15th in the GLIAC in scoring at 15.8 ppg and fourth in assists at 4.0 apg. Hunt and Billing were a combined 7-of-13 from behind the arc against GVSU. Billing and freshman guard Alex Williams (Benton Harbor, Mich.) both totaled a season-high eight rebounds against GVSU. Thursday’s opponent, which is Michigan Tech, and LSSU are ranked first and second in the GLIAC, respectively, in three-point field goal percentage. MTU is 46-of-112 for 41.1 percent in conference action, while LSSU is 43-of-106 for 40.6 percent.

Michigan Tech Huskies

Michigan Tech completed the season sweep of Northern Michigan with a 70-64 win over the Wildcats Jan. 5. Junior Ali Haidar recorded his eighth straight double-double of the season with game-highs in both points (27) and rebounds (13). He made his first 15 free throws in the game and missed his final one, just missing the school record for free throw percentage in a game. Haidar is nearly averaging a double-double this season with 18.0 points per game and 9.7 rebounds. Freshman Troy Hecht made his first start of the season against NMU. Tech will play conference games at Lake Superior State Thursday and Saginaw Valley State Saturday.

Northern Michigan Wildcats

The Wildcats suffered a tough 70-64 loss to rival Michigan Tech on (Jan. 5)…NMU was led by freshman guard Haki Stampley with 20 points…Stampley has now reached double-figures in scoring in 11 of the 12 games played this season…Senior guard DeAndre Taylor also netted 14 points, scoring 12 of those in the final three plus minutes in the loss to MTU…NMU ranks fourth in the conference in free throw percentage at .739…The ‘Cats also rank second in three-point field goal percentage defense at .305 percent…Haki Stampley ranks fifth in the conference in scoring averaging 16.2 points per game…Sophomore forward Matthew Craggs ranks 10th in the GLIAC in rebounding with 6.6 boards per game…Senior center Jared Benson ranks second in field goal percentage at a .586…NMU hosts Northland International on (Jan. 9) in its final non-conference matchup of the season before traveling to Saginaw Valley State (Jan. 12) and Lake Superior State (Jan. 14).

Northwood Timberwolves

Northwood won its lone game of the week, downing Grace Bible 73-63 … the Timberwolves are now 7-5 on the season … the Timberwolves finished with a 47-35 edge on the boards against the Tigers, which included a 22-14 advantage on the offensive glass … NU also finished with a season-high 11 blocked shots … four Timberwolves finished in double figures for the game, led by Bobby Lewis (Saginaw, Mich./Mott CC) … he had team-highs in points (14) and rebounds (seven) … Darvin Ham (Saginaw, Mich./Bridgeport) came off the bench for 12 points, five rebounds and three blocked shots, while Wes Wilcox (Roselle, Ill./Harper) and Robertas Grabauskas (Vilnius, Lithuania) each scored 11 … Bobby Gibson (Harper Woods, Mich.) finished with six points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots … Northwood will travel to Grand Valley State and Ferris State this week.

Ohio Dominican Panthers

The Panthers dropped an 86-78 decision on the road to Tiffin and also fell 71-57 at home to Lake Erie last week…ODU allowed 78.5 points per game last week on 53.9 percent shooting…The backcourt pair of Morgan Jones and Darrien Douglas paced the Panthers as they combined to average 33.0 points per game on 24-of-50 (48.0 percent) shooting…Jones averaged a team-high 17.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals per game, as well as 4.5 boards, while Douglas averaged 15.5 points, knocking down 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, along with 3.0 rebounds per game…Zak Kapron had a solid week, averaging 11.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest after posting a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards at Tiffin...ODU hits the road for a non-conference matchup at Salem International on Wednesday before returning to GLIAC action on Saturday at Ashland.

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

SVSU fell to Grand Valley State 53-39 on Thursday (Jan. 5) before bouncing back to defeat Ferris State on Saturday (Jan. 7) 79-59 to snap a four-game slide... Senior Eli Redman led the way against GVSU with a team-high 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe... SVSU rebounded against Ferris State with a big win as Chris Webb finished with a team-high 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the floor. Greg Foster and Brett Beland both notched 18 points in the victory as the Cardinals shot over 55 percent for the contest including 82 percent in the second half (14-of-17)... Webb leads SVSU in scoring at 15.4 points per game, while Foster is averaging 14.1 ppg to rank second... Through twelve games, the Cardinals are shooting .417 from the floor and .742 from the charity stripe...  SVSU currently ranks third in the GLIAC in team free throw percentage. Brett Beland ranks third in the GLIAC in free throw percentage at 90.9, on 40-of-44 shooting from the line.

Tiffin Dragons

The Dragons went 1-1 on the week…On Jan. 5, TU picked up its first GLIAC win, 86-78 over Ohio Dominican…They were down 34-23 before outscoring ODU 13-2 over the last four minutes of the first half to tie the game at the half…In the second half, Tiffin fought from behind and sealed the game hitting 8-of-10 from the line in the last 90 seconds…Karl Finley scored 31 points with seven assists, Travis Spahr had 18 points and nine rebounds while Joe Graessle had 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists…Against the Panthers, TU tied the school record with 13 blocked shots…On Jan. 7, against Hillsdale (who is receiving votes), Tiffin hung close until the Chargers pulled away late for a 78-69 win…Karl Finley had 24 points… Graessle is seventh in school history with 117 3-pointers made and 322 3-pointers attempted.

Wayne State Warriors

The Warriors have lost four straight for the first time since Feb. 4-13, 2010.  Four of Wayne State’s five lowest scoring outputs of the year have come in the last four games.  Senior center Ike Udanoh (Detroit, Mich./Warren Woods Tower) recorded his seventh double-double of the season with game-high totals of 18 points and 11 rebounds at Hillsdale.  Sophomore guard Bryan Coleman (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup) scored a team-high 18 points at Findlay in his second game of the campaign.  WSU shot a season-best 92 percent (11-of-12) from the foul line vs. the Oilers.  WSU is shooting 73.7 percent from the foul line this year, the seventh-best total in the last 72 years. Udanoh needs 10 points to become the 35th player in school history with 757 points.  Senior guard Dale Brundidge (Southfield, Mich./Detroit Country Day) is 14th in career steals (103) and 22nd in all-time assists (183).  This Thursday’s contest vs. Hillsdale will be televised live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast Channel 900.