Pirates' Powell, Purchase's Lott and Pace's Wejnert Power to Weekly Nods
MBWA Players of the Week (1-13 to 1-19) 2019-20 / Week 5
FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com
Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Powell, Lott and Wejnert Pull in Weekly Awards
NEW YORK (Jan. 21, 2020) ---
Myles Powell of Seton Hall for the second consecutive week in Division I, and
Elijah Lott of Purchase and
Peyton Wejnert of Pace as co-winners in Divisions II-III, have been named Men’s Players of the Week by the Met Basketball Writers Assn.
The designations, for games played Jan. 13-19, are unique in that they encompass players from 71 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
It is the third week in a row that a player from Seton Hall has won the award, with Powell following teammate Quincy McKnight’s similar designation on Dec. 24. Wejnert was previously honored as a Met Player of the Week on Dec. 10, and Lott previously was so anointed on Dec. 17.
A 6-2 senior guard from Trenton, NJ, Powell --- the Big East’s second-leading scorer with 22.4 points per game --- averaged 29.0 points and 6.5 rebounds in leading the Associated Press’ now 10th ranked Pirates (14-4) to a 2-0 week, both road victories.
First, in defeating then-ranked No. 5 Butler 78-70, Powell helped the Pirates rally from a 10-point halftime deficit with a pair of huge threes, the first one giving The Hall its first lead of the second half and the second trey putting the Pirates up four with 3:12 to go. He then set a huge screen for Jared Rhoden, who nailed a dagger 3-pointer with under a minute remaining. Powell finished with 29 points and seven rebounds as Seton Hall won a road game at an AP Top 5-ranked team for the first time since 2000.
Next, at Madison Square Garden, Powell completely dominated the second half in an 82-79 victory over St. John’s by scoring 23 of his game-high 29 points after intermission, including seven straight points to pull The Hall ahead late. He scored his 2,000th career point in the contest.
A 6-7 senior forward from Point Pleasant, NJ, Wejnert --- who also was named the Northeast 10 Conference player of the week --- posted a pair of double-doubles in averaging 29.5 points and 12.0 rebounds for the Setters (12-6) in a 1-1 week.
Wejnert began his week by posting 29 points and 13 rebounds in a 67-61 triumph at Assumption, then recorded his fourth 30-point output of the season with 30 points and 11 rebounds in a home triumph over Bentley.
Wejnert is currently the leading scorer in the NE 10, and 15th in the nation, at 22.8 ppg, and is the fourth-leading rebounder (8.8 rpg) in the conference.
A 6-3 senior guard from Albany, NY, Lott averaged 24.0 points, 6.3 assists and 3.6 steals in a 3-0 week for the Setters (9-5).
He posted 27 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists in a 96-74 win at Manhattanville, followed with 29 points, eight assists and seven steals in an 87-69 homecourt victory over U.S. Merchant Marine, and finished the week with 16 points, 14 rebounds and three steals in a 78-70 triumph at Mount Saint Mary.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Raiquan Clark, LIU; Zach Cooks, NJIT; Jack Forrest, Columbia; Tommy Funk, Army West Point; Caleb McConnell, Rutgers; Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook; Isaiah Washington, Iona.
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Enike Anyia, Sarah Lawrence; Josiah Basket, Felician; Jesse Breeding, Concordia; Osbel Caraballo, St. Thomas Aquinas; Bryan Griffin, Mercy; Dontay Julius, Bloomfield; Jaimik Moore, NJCU; Malachi Walker Jr., Drew.
Previous MBWA 2019-20 Men’s Players of the Week: Dec. 10, Elijah Olaniyi, Stony Brook, Div. I; Peyton Wejnert, Pace, Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 17, Ron Harper Jr., Rutgers, Div. I; Elijah Lott, Purchase, Divs. II-III . . . Dec. 24, Quincy McKnight, Seton Hall, Div. I; Chris LaBelle, Centenary, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 14, Myles Powell, Seton Hall, Div. I; Chris LaBelle, Centenary, Divs. II-III.