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BAY CITY, Mich. - Northwood University senior forward Bobby Lewis (Saginaw, Mich./Mott C.C.) and Tiffin University sophomore guard Joe Graessle (Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready) 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:
Bobby Lewis
Northwood
6-3, Senior, Forward
Saginaw, Mich./Mott C.C.
Senior forward Bobby Lewis led
Northwood to a pair of road wins last week, averaging 23.5 points,
10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. Lewis shot 56.7
percent from the floor (17-30) and registered a double-double in
both games. In Northwood’s triple overtime win at Saginaw
Valley State, Lewis had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 49 minutes of
action. He then had a career-high 28 points to go along with
11 rebounds in a win at Wayne State. Lewis has led Northwood to
five straight wins, improving to 15-7 this season.
North Division Weekly Honor Roll: Kenny Brown - FS, James Thomas - GV, Derek Billing - LS, Ali Haidar - MT, Eli Redman - 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; (1/17) M.
Schaaf - SV; (1/23) B. Lewis - NU; (1/30) D. Billing - LS;
(2/6) J. Thomas - GV; (2/13) B. Lewis - NU.
GLIAC South Division Player
of the Week:
Joe Graessle
Tiffin
6-3, Sophomore, Guard
Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready
Sophomore guard Joe Graessle led Tiffin to a pair of impressive home wins as the Dragons defeated Findlay and #23 Hillsdale last week. Graessle averaged 21.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 44.4 percent (8-18) on the arc and 87.5 percent (7-8) from the free throw line. He tallied 24 points, four assists and three rebounds in the Dragon’s first win over Findlay since the 1991-92 season. Greassle tallied 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds in the win over league-leading Hillsdale.
South Division Weekly Honor Roll: Evan Yates - AU, Greg Kahlig - UF, Tim Dezelski - HC, Rich Austin - LE, Jake Mochoskay - 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; (12/20) C. Prophet - WS; (1/3) B. Guinane - HC; (1/9) R. Steward - AU; (1/17) I. Udanoh - WS; (1/23) E. Yates - AU; (1/30) T. Gerber - HC; (1/17) I. Udanoh - WS; (2/13) J. Graessle - TU.
Ashland Eagles
The Eagles dropped a pair of games on the road last week at Grand Valley State and Ferris State. Against the Lakers, the Eagles trimmed a 17-point halftime deficit down to three points, but never got closer than that. The Eagles struggled from the field in the first half against the Bulldogs, who were able to pull away for the win. Junior forward Evan Yates (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills) averaged 22.5 points and 8.5 rebounds last week and shot .667 (14-for-21) from the field. He is the conference leader in scoring (20.5), rebounding (11.5) and field goal percentage (.609). He entered the week as the second-best rebounder in the country and was third in double-doubles. On Saturday at Ferris State, Yates had 27 points and 12 rebounds. He sank a career-high 13 free throws and did not miss from the stripe. The Eagles are in eighth place overall in the GLIAC. They host Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan at Kates Gymnasium this week.
Ferris State Bulldogs
FSU maintained a two-game lead in the GLIAC North Division standings with a pair of decisive league home wins this past week. FSU topped Lake Erie 82-57 on Thursday (Feb. 9) night before beating Ashland 87-66 on Saturday (Feb. 11) at Wink Arena... Ferris State junior guard Kenny Brown (Farmington Hills/Harrison) averaged 26.5 points in the two-game stretch. He dropped 29 points and sank 10-of-14 (.714) shots from the floor along with five-of-eight (.625) three’s in the victory against Lake Erie. Brown then compiled 24 points on 50% shooting and hit four treys in Saturday’s win over Ashland. He sank all six of his free throws in the two games... Bulldog freshman guard Dietrich Lever (Detroit/Canton) tallied a personal career-high 19 points in Thursday’s victory over Lake Erie... The Bulldogs had four players reach double-figure scoring against Ashland as Brown totaled 24 points, senior guard Dontae Molden (Detroit/Pershing) had 20 points, junior forward Daniel Sutherlin (Detroit/Renaissance) contributed 16 points and senior forward Jerrell Sanders (Grand Rapids/Creston) added 14 points.
Findlay
Oilers
The Oilers split on the road last
week, losing 77-74 at Tiffin and winning 80-61 at Ohio
Dominican. In the loss to the Dragons, sophomore
forward Greg Kahlig led the way with 27 points and ten rebounds.
Senior guard Kyle Caiola chipped in 17 points. In the win
over the Panthers, Kahlig and Caiola each scored 15 points
apiece. Kahlig led the Oilers during the week by averaging
21.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. He had 11
offensive rebounds in the two games. Kahlig also shot 56
percent (14-of-25) from the floor, drilled 66.7 percent (6-of-9) of
his three point attempts and hit 80 percent (8-of-10) of his shots
from the free throw line. On the season, Kahlig is averaging 13.7
points and 5.1 rebounds per game. He is also shooting 55.6
percent from the field and 44.4 percent from behind the three point
line. Caiola leads the team with a 13.8 points per game average
while Kahlig is scoring 13.7 points per contest. Kahlig also
leads the team in rebounding with 5.1 per game.
Grand Valley State Lakers
Grand Valley State is on its
longest winning streak of the season, capturing home victories over
Ashland and Lake Erie for its third and fourth consecutive wins.
The Lakers are now 9-3 at home this season after going 4-0 on their
recent homestand…senior guard James Thomas (Grand Rapids,
Mich./Grand Rapids CC) averaged 17.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per
game, including his third double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds)
against Ashland on Thursday night. GVSU outrebounded Ashland 37-22
(including 16 offensive rebounds) and turned the ball over a
season-low five times in the win…junior point guard Breland
Hogan (Detroit, Mich./Kennedy) played 70 minutes in the two
victories, handing out 11 assists and not committing a turnover. In
the past seven games, Hogan (who is fourth in the GLIAC in
assist/turnover ratio at 2.4) has tallied 34 assists and just six
turnovers…senior Nick Waddell (Chicago, Ill./New Mexico JC)
averaged 13.5 points per game, shooting 10-of-20 from the field in
the two wins.
Hillsdale Chargers
The Hillsdale College men’s basketball team split a pair of games this week, recording a 21-point win on the road at Ohio Dominican before losing on a buzzer-beater at Tiffin Saturday…The Chargers have lost three of their last four road games, but remain a half-game ahead of Ferris State for first place overall in the GLIAC…In the loss at Tiffin Saturday, two Chargers registered career-highs in scoring: Brandon Pritzl (19 points) and Tim Dezelski (22 points)…Both players are sophomores …With one more win, Hillsdale will have recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time since it did it in 2000-01 and 2001-02…The Chargers are averaging 62.5 points per game in their four losses, and 69.6 points per game in their 19 wins…The team will play its final home regular season game Thursday against Ohio Dominican, where it will support the GLIAC Pink Wave and the WBCA’s Play 4Kay programs.
Lake Erie Storm
Lake Erie College (8-14, 3-12 GLIAC) dropped a couple of road contests at GLIAC North foes, falling at Ferris State Thursday and Grand Valley State Saturday. Each game was tight throughout the first halves with the Storm trailing by two points at the break in each. Against FSU, Lake Erie was defeated 82-55. The Storm was led by sophomore center Rich Austin (Cleveland, Ohio/St. Ignatius) with 17 points and eight rebounds. Austin scored 12 of his points in the first half, keeping Lake Erie in the game. Austin also had a big game in the 64-57 loss at GVSU. Austin and sophomore guard Riley Thomas (Cardington, Ohio/Cardington-Lincoln shared top honors with a game-high 19 points. The effort, which included four three-pointers, was a season-high for Thomas and one off his career-high. Austin did much of his work at the foul line going nine-of-10 with the Storm going 15-of-17 (88.2%) as a team from the charity stripe. Lake Erie returns home this weekend with games against Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. The games will be part of Lake Erie’s Taking Breast Cancer By Storm Weekend.
Lake Superior State Lakers
Sophomore guard Derek Billing (Anna, Ohio) continued his prolific scoring, averaging 25.0 points per game during last weekend’s 68-64 win at Northern Michigan and 84-72 loss at Michigan Tech. Billing, who is scoring 16.9 ppg this season, has averaged 26.5 ppg during his last four games and 25.0 ppg during his last six. In league play, he moved up to fifth in scoring at 18.0 ppg and leads in average three-point field goals per game at 3.1. Junior forward Derek Kinney (Romulus, Mich.) averaged 10.5 points and 4.0 rebounds last week. He ranks 13th in the GLIAC in rebounding at 6.3 rpg. Sophomore center Cameron Metz (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored 14 points against MTU for his first double-figure point total since Jan. 19. He is third in the GLIAC in field-goal percentage at .587. Senior guard Kyle Hunt (Macomb, Mich.) is ninth in steals at 1.4 spg and 16th in scoring at 13.3 ppg.
Michigan Tech Huskies
Michigan Tech won its only game last week defeating Lake Superior State 84-72. Junior Ali Haidar led the Huskies with 35 points, one shy of his career-high. He also moved into a tie for 17th in career scoring at Tech with 1,121 points. The Huskies shot a season-high 88-percent from the free throw line and made a season-high 30 free throws against LSSU. The Huskies will play its final road games of the regular season at Ashland Thursday (Feb. 16) and at Lake Erie Saturday (Feb. 18).
Northern Michigan Wildcats
The Northern
Michigan men’s basketball team is now 8-14 overall and 4-11
in the GLIAC…The Wildcats fell in the second half to Lake
Superior State, 68-64 on Feb. 9…Freshman guard Haki Stampley
and senior guard DeAndre Taylor each netted 16 points in the
loss…Senior center Jared Benson also scored eight points and
nine rebounds and is now 30 points away from the 1,000th point
mark…Stampley ranks 11th in the conference in scoring with
an average of 14.5 ppg…Taylor ranks 16th in scoring with
13.2 ppg...NMU travels to Lake Erie (Feb. 16) an Ashland (Feb. 18)
this week.
Northwood Timberwolves
Northwood continued its strong play this week, earning two road victories … the Timberwolves earned a triple-overtime 106-99 win at SVSU Wednesday before downing Wayne State 70-63 on Saturday… Northwood has earned wins in five straight, seven of eight and 10 of their last 12 games overall … NU’s triple overtime game was the second in school history – the only other triple OT game occurred in December of 1981 against Ferris State … leading the way for Northwood was senior forward Bobby Lewis (Saginaw, Mich./Mott CC) … he averaged 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game … Lewis shot 56.7 percent from the floor (17-30) and registered a double-double in both games … at Saginaw Valley State, Lewis had 19 points and 10 rebounds in 49 minutes of action … he then had a career-high 28 points to go along with 11 rebounds in a win at Wayne State … junior point guard Cameron Joyce (Akron, Ohio/St Vincent St. Mary’s) leads the GLIAC in assist to turnover ratio (3.1) and has registered 28 assists and four turnovers for a 7.0 ratio during NU’s five-game winning streak.
Ohio Dominican Panthers
Facing two of the top three teams in the GLIAC South Division, Ohio Dominican’s men’s basketball team fell 74-53 to No. 23 Hillsdale on Thursday and 80-61 to Findlay on Saturday in Alumni Hall…Senior forward Aaron Gibbs (Oberlin, Ohio) is now six points away from 1,000 for his career. He scored 91 points as a freshman at Presbyterian and 903 in his three years with ODU…Senior forward Jake Mochoskay (Mansfield, Ohio) scored 15 against Hillsdale and 14 against the Oilers and also tied with Gibbs for the team lead in rebounding, averaging 5.5 per game…Gibbs was the lone other player to average in double figures (10.0)…Junior guard Morgan Jones (Oberlin, Ohio) is one of five GLIAC players to be in the 20 in the conference in scoring (20th, 12.7 ppg) and top 15 in steals (1st, 2.1 spg) and assists (12th, 3.1 apg). The others are Derek Billing (Lake Superior), Kyle Caiola (Findlay), Kyle Hunt (Lake Superior) and Greg Foster (Saginaw Valley).
Saginaw Valley State Cardinals
SVSUdropped a thrilling triple overtime contest against Northwood University on Wednesday (Feb. 8), 106-99. The Cardinals are now 10-12 overall on the season and 6-9 in conference play. Chris Webb recorded his second highest single-game total with 28 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the floor. Redman recorded 27 points and 12 rebounds in posting his second career double-double. He has also connected on a school record 33 consecutive free throws and 39 of his last 40 attempts. Redman is averaging 10.3 points per game and is shooting 84.8 percent from the foul stripe. His last four contests have been the four highest single-game totals of his career (35, 21, 18, 27). SVSU committed just six turnovers in 55 minutes of action on Wednesday, and remains amongst the nation’s leaders in fewest turnovers per game (11.7). Webb leads SVSU in scoring at 14.6 points per game and ranks 10th in the conference. SVSU is third in the conference in free throw percentage at 75.2% and in the top 20 nationally. Brett Beland leads the GLIAC and is in the top five nationally in free throw percentage going 61-for-66 (92.4). Redman has moved up to seventh in the conference from the charity stripe at 84.8%.
Tiffin Dragons
The Dragons went 2-0 on the
week…On Feb. 9, TU knocked off Findlay 77-74, the first win
over the Oilers since the 1991-92 season … Karl Finley
scored 29 points and Joe Graessle had 24 points with five
3-pointers … The Dragons led the game for 35 minutes
… On Feb. 11, Tiffin pulled off the big upset hitting a late
triple to beat #23 Hillsdale 69-66 … It was the first win
over the Chargers since 1990-91 … Karl Finley hit a
3-pointer with 28 seconds left to tie the game at 66 … Iman
Johnson stole the inbound pass and TU waited for the last shot
… Finley drained a triple with .3 seconds left for the win
… Graessle had 19 points and seven assists and Finley scored
18 … Career, Joe Graessle is fifth with 152 3-pointers
made and fifth with 406 3-point attempts.
Wayne State Warriors
Wayne State will conclude the regular-season home portion of its schedule this week with contests at the Matthaei against Ferris State on Thursday and Grand Valley on Saturday. The Warriors have already clinched a spot in the GLIAC tournament and have a magic number of four to secure a home playoff game on Feb. 29. Junior forward Ian Larkin (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance) led WSU with 20 points and two blocked shots against Northwood last Saturday. Wayne State had only four turnovers in the contest but was out-rebounded 42-30. The Warriors also had a season-low seven free throw attempts in the game. With his two blocks against NU, Larkin increased his season total to 35, which ranks 12th in school history. Senior center Ike Udanoh (Detroit, Mich./Warren Woods Tower) is 13th in career blocked shots (58) and 21st in steals (87). He is also 15th in rebounding (534) and tied-for-17th in free throws made (220).