Burwitz, Haynes, Licon Take Player of the Week Honors

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: December 30, 2019-January 4, 2020

 

CO-EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Hans Burwitz, Sr., F/C, UT Dallas

UT Dallas senior forward/center Hans Burwitz (Allen, Texas) shot 70 percent (14-of-20) from the field while averaging a double-double as the Comets picked up a pair of road wins last week in ASC crossover play. Burwitz recorded 19.0 points and 10.5 rebounds per outing as UTD earned wins over Concordia, Texas, and Mary Hardin-Baylor. He scored 20 points and snagged 11 boards Thursday, going 7-for-8 from the field in an 82-81 come-from-behind victory over the Tornados. Burwitz then added 18 points and ten rebounds, hitting 7-of-12 shots in an 89-77 road win against the Cru. It is Burwitz’s third career Player of the Week award.

CO-EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Chris Haynes, Jr., F, East Texas Baptist

East Texas Baptist junior forward Chris Haynes (Houston, Texas) He averaged a double-double at 19.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game shooting 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from the floor as the Tigers won a pair of games in Abilene. In the overtime win at Hardin-Simmons, he had 20 points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of play. Against McMurry, he posted 16 points in the second half to finish with 18 points and 15 rebounds – his first double-double. Haynes was a perfect 8-of-8 from the free-throw line and had two blocks and two steals.

WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Tristen Licon, Jr., G, Sul Ross State

Sul Ross State junior guard Tristen Licon (El Paso, Texas) posted back-to-back double-doubles, helping the Lobos to home conference wins over Louisiana College and Belhaven. He started with a 16-point, 11-rebound performance against the Wildcats January 2 and followed that up with 29 and 11 against Belhaven on January 4. For the week, Licon averaged 22.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, earning his second Player of the Week honors of the season and third of his career.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

 

EAST DIVISION

Belhaven senior forward Brosnan Cooks (Elba, Ala.) averaged 19.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game as the Blazers went 1-1 to open conference play. He shot 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the field in the two games. Cooks had 22 points, seven boards, and seven assists in a 101-96 overtime win at Howard Payne. He followed with 17 points and nine rebounds in a loss at Sul Ross State. 

Ozarks senior guard Cordy Winston (Sherwood, Ark.) averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 3.0 steal during a 1-1 conference week for the Eagles. Winston was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free-throw line. He exploded for 21 points in a 75-67 win at Concordia Texas.

LeTourneau senior guard Nate West (Houston, Texas) averaged 27.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 2.0 steal as the YellowJackets went 1-1 on the week. He had 28 points, five boards, and five assists in a losing effort at McMurry. West followed with 26 points, eight rebounds and six assists in a 97-86 overtime victory at Hardin-Simmons.

WEST DIVISION

Hardin-Simmons sophomore guard Kyle Brennon (Houston, Texas) sizzled on offense averaging 29.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game in a pair of overtime losses for the Cowboys. He sent the East Texas Baptist game to overtime with a layup with a second to play. Brennon scored a career-best 34 points in that game.

Mary Hardin-Baylor senior forward Kendal Little (Harker Heights, Texas) had his two highest-scoring games of the season last week, averaging 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as the Cru went 1-1. Little shot 55 percent (11-of-20) from the field and 40 percent (4-of-10) from beyond the arc. He had a season-high 15 points in Saturday’s loss to UT Dallas.

McMurry senior guard Dedrick Berry Jr. (Fort Worth, Texas) scored a career-high 26 points on his birthday and shot 11-of-16 from the field in a 91-86 win against LeTourneau. He also had four assists and two rebounds in the game, scoring 10 of the War Hawks’ first 12 points of the contest. For the week, he averaged 17.0 points and 3.5 assists per game.

Concordia Texas freshman guard Luis Gonzales (Carolina, P.R.) shot 50 percent (13-of-26) from the field, averaging over 18 points a game for the Tornados. Against UT Dallas, Gonzales knocked down 6-of-12 from the floor and hit 7-of-8 from the free-throw for a 20-point night but missed the game-winner at the buzzer as CTX fell 82-81. Gonzales followed up with a 17-point performance against Ozarks in a 75-67 loss.

Howard Payne junior guard Jase Miguez (Nederland, Texas) led the Yellow Jackets for the week averaging 27.5 points per game, highlighted by a 41-point performance versus Belhaven. Miguez went 7-for-14 for the week from the three-point line and only turned the ball over once in 66 minutes of action.

 

Hughes, Gaffney, Martinez Earn Weekly Awards

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Games: December 30, 2019-January 4, 2020

 

EAST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Raenett Hughes, Jr., G, UT Dallas

UT Dallas junior guard Raenett Hughes (College Station, Texas) averaged 24.0 points 5.3 rebounds, 4.3 steals and 4.0 assists per game as she led the Comets to three wins last week, including a 69-55 road victory over No. 5/8 Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday. Hughes topped 20 points in all three games for the Comets previous week, including 28 points on 13-of-24 shooting Saturday in the upset of the Cru. She scored 24 points Monday in a home win over Rutgers-Newark and added 20 points Thursday in a road win over Concordia, Texas. She shot 60.8 percent (31-of-51) from the field and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the free-throw line on the week. It is Hughes’ third straight Player of the Week of the season and seventh of her career.

CO-WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Gaffney, Sr., G, Hardin-Simmons

Hardin-Simmons senior guard Taylor Gaffney (Frisco, Texas) scored 27 of the teams 53 points in an overtime win over East Texas Baptist. She hit a career-best seven three-pointers in the game, including five in the first quarter. Gaffney averaged 18.5 points and 5.0 rebounds and was a key to the pressure defense that allowed the two opponents to shoot a combined 29 percent in two games and 11-of-53 from three-point range as the Cowgirls went 2-0. It is her second Player of the Week of the year and third of her career.

CO-WEST DIVISION PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Kaylee Martinez, Fr., G/F, Sul Ross State

Sul Ross State freshman guard/forward Kaylee Martinez (El Paso, Texas) produced back-to-back double-digit rebounding games against Louisiana College and Belhaven, averaging 16.0 per game along with 12.5 points as the Lady Lobos went 2-0. She came down with 12 boards with six points on January 2 against Louisiana College. Martinez next tied a career-high with 20 rebounds, including six offensive, to go with 19 points against Belhaven on January 4.

OTHER TOP PERFORMANCES

EAST DIVISION

East Texas Baptist senior forward Amanda Wilson (Carrollton, Texas) averaged a double-double on the trip to Abilene as the Tigers went 1-1. She posted 19.5 points and 11 rebounds per game, along with two blocked shots per game. In the overtime loss to Hardin-Simmons, she had 14 points and 11 rebounds, including the tying basket with 1:48 to go in regulation to make to send it to extra time. In the win over McMurry, she had a career-high 25 points shooting 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) from the floor in 23 minutes of play with ten rebounds.

Belhaven junior guard Keke Lyles (Sawyerville, Ala.) averaged 19.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.5 steals, and 2.5 assists per game as the Blazers went 1-1 on the week. She scored 20 points with eight boards and seven steals in a 75-71 win at Howard Payne. Lyles followed with 19 points, seven rebounds, five assists and a pair of steals in a four-point loss at Sul Ross State.

Ozark’s sophomore guard Carly Grace Dougan (Clarksville, Ark.) averaged 12.0 points and 7.0 rebounds over two games for Ozarks. Dougan hit 5-of-10 from the three-point line during the week.

LeTourneau junior guard Keauna Whitfield (Rosebud, Texas) averaged 22.5 points, and 12.0 rebounds per game as the YellowJackets went 1-1 on the week. She netted 16 points with 12 rebounds in a 67-54 win at McMurry. Whitfield then had 29 points with 12 more boards in a loss to Hardin-Simmons.

Louisiana College freshman guard ZyUnn Cormier (Duncanville, Texas) averaged 23.0 points per game in a pair of overtime road losses for the Wildcats. She scored 20 points with six rebounds at Sul Ross State and had 26 points at Howard Payne.

WEST DIVISION

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore center Allaira Jones (Gatesville, Texas) scored in double figures in all three games for the No. 5/8 Cru last week. She averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 59 percent (17-of-29) from the field. Jones also blocked seven shots in three games.

Concordia Texas senior forward Payton Berger (Azle, Texas) was the Tornados’ leading scorer and rebounder during their three-game stretch last week as they went 1-2. Against UT Dallas, Berger shot 50 percent from the field and produced a season-high 18 points in an 81-55 loss. On Saturday, Berger registered her first double-double of the season, recording 14 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in a nail-biting 59-55 win over the Ozarks.

Howard Payne junior guard Chelsey Harris (Waco, Texas) averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game as the Lady Jackets went 1-1. She scored 27 points in an overtime win over Louisiana College, going 6-of-10 from three-point range.