Rutgers' Harper (DI) and Purchase's Lott (DII-III) Rack Up Men's Weekly Honors
MBWA Players of the Week (12-9 to 12-15) 2019-20 / Week 2
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rutgers' Harper (DI) and Purchase's Lott (DII-III) Rack Up Men's Weekly Honors
NEW YORK (Dec. 17, 2019) --
Ron Harper Jr. of Rutgers in Division I and
Elijah Lott of Purchase in Divisions II-III have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Dec. 9-15, are unique in that they encompass players from 71 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
A 6-5 sophomore guard-forward from Franklin Lakes, NJ, Harper led the Scarlet Knights (8-3) to a 2-0 week at home with a 72-65 Big Ten Conference victory over Wisconsin and a 68-48 upset of in-state rival and then No. 22 ranked Seton Hall.
Harper was named the Joe Calabrese game MVP after scoring a contest-high 18 points to go with six rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block in the victory over Seton Hall. The triumph produced RU’s largest margin of victory in school history over a ranked team and the largest margin over the Pirates since 1998. The win came in front of 8,329 onlookers, largest for a game at The RAC since 2002.
Against Wisconsin, Harper contributed a balanced six points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, helping the Scarlet Knights remain undefeated (8-0) at home this season.
A 6-3 junior guard from Albany, NY, Lott --- who also was named the Skyline Conference player of the week for a third consecutive week --- was named MVP of the York College Invitational last week as he led the Panthers (5-4) to a pair of victories and the tournament title. He averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and shot 57% from the floor in the event.
Lott posted 21 points and five rebounds in an 80-73 opening round win over Gwynedd Mercy.
Then, in an 88-85 championship game triumph over SUNY Potsdam, Lott provided a multitude of heart-thumping heroics as he scored a season-high 32 points along with 10 rebounds. He nailed the game-winning 3-pointer as time expired, capping an outburst where he scored Purchase’s final 12 points, including five points in the final six seconds.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Desure Buie, Hofstra; Chauncey Hawkins, St. Francis Brooklyn; Matt Wilson, Army West Point.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Adnan Bajrami, Baruch; Riley Collins, Drew; Sekou Cisse, St. Thomas Aquinas; Ethan Feldman, NYU; Bryan Griffin, Mercy; Simcha Halpert, Yeshiva; Quincy Rutherford, Rutgers-Newark.
Previous MBWA 2019-20 Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 10, Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook, Div. I; Peyton Wejnert, Pace, Divs. II-III.