RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the league’s Players of the Week for the 14th week of the 2014-15 basketball season. Arkansas Tech’s Mike Balogun and and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Taylor Smaller shared the men’s title while Henderson State’s Aungelique Sledge picked up her second women’s award.
GAC MEN’S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Mike Balogun, Arkansas Tech, G, Sr., Staten Island, New York
Balogun helped the Wonder Boys return to the .500 mark for the first time in a month as his sharp shooting helped carried the team to a pair of double-digit victories. Against Northwestern Oklahoma State, he made 10-of-16 shots, including 5-of-9 from the 3-point arc, en route to 25 points. Against Southern Nazarene, he went 4-of-7 on 3-point tries and added six assists.
GAC MEN’S BASKETBALL CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Taylor Smaller, Southeastern Oklahoma State, G, Sr., St. Paul, Minnesota
Smaller helped lead the Savage Storm to a pair of GAC victories as he averaged 22.5 points in road wins at Arkansas-Monticello and Harding. Against the Boll Weevils, he hit six 3-pointers in the 83-70 win. Against the Bisons, he made 8-of-16 shots, dished six assists and grabbed six rebounds in a 79-74 triumph.
GAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Aungelique Sledge, Henderson State, G, Sr., West Helena, Arkansas
Sledge won her second Player of the Week award of the season. On Thursday, in a matchup featuring two of the GAC’s top three scorers, she poured in 29 points to offset 43 points from SNU’s Aminata Fall in an 81-71 win. Two days later, she hit 12-of-21 shots and scored 27 against Northwestern Oklahoma. She averaged 13.5 rebounds and 4.0 steals in the two victories.
NOTABLE MEN’S NOMINEES
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Richard Benedyth, Jr., G, Arkansas-Monticello (Averaged 17.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 3.5 steals in two games)
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Tirrell Brown, Jr., F, Ouachita Baptist (Averaged 19.5 points and 9.0 rebounds as OBU moved closer to clinching No. 1 seed)
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Darrian Dempsey, Sr., G, Northwestern Oklahoma State (Scored a career-high 30 points in a one-point win against HSU)
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Blake McNair, Jr., G, Harding (Totaled 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals vs Southeastern Oklahoma State)
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Reggie Murphy, Sr., C, Henderson State (Made 9-of-15 shots in two games, averaged 17.0 points and 9.0 rebounds)
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Braxton Reeves, So., G, East Central (Scored career-high 26 points vs SAU; needs five 3-pt FG to set ECU single-season mark)
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Chauncy Williams, Sr., G, Southern Arkansas (Registered 20-point games against both East Central and SWOSU)
NOTABLE WOMEN’S NOMINEES
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Fatima Adams, Jr., F, Arkansas Tech (Pushed Golden Suns into first place, averaged 23.0 PPG, shot 61.3 FG percentage)
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Kamera Bozeman, So., C, Northwestern Oklahoma State (Made 11-of-18 field goals; averaged 13.0 points per game)
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Rosa Bryant, Jr., F, Southern Arkansas (Helped Lady Muleriders to a 2-0 week; led SAU with 13.5 PPG and 8.0 RPG)
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Breanna Harris, Jr., G/F, Ouachita Baptist (Hit go-ahead 3-pointer late vs SWOSU; scored clinching lay-up against ECU)
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Aminata Fall, Sr., C, Southern Nazarene (Set GAC single-game scoring mark, 43 points; became GAC all-time leading scorer)
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Nelsha Peterson, Jr., F, Arkansas-Monticello (Made 7-of-9 shots, scored 15 points and grabbed 11 rebounds vs Southeastern)
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Arielle Saunders, Sr., F, Harding (Became first player in HU’s NCAA era to record 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career)
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Dilan Webster, Sr., F, East Central (Averaged 10.5 PPG and 5.5 RPG against Southern Arkansas and Ouachita Baptist)