Desure Buie (Hofstra/DI), Gabriel Leifer (Yeshiva/DII-III) Garner Weekly Awards

2/4/2020 7:00:00 AM

MBWA Players of the Week (1-27 to 2-2) 2019-20 / Week 7

FFI: Chuck Stogel, MBWA - 914-428-6111, chstogel@aol.com

Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association
www.MetBasketballWriters.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    
NEW YORK (Feb. 4, 2020) ---  Desure Buie of Hofstra in Division I and Gabriel Leifer of Yeshiva for a second consecutive week 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. 27-Feb. 2, are unique in that they encompass players from 71 Met area schools across Divisions I, II and III.
 
A 5-11 senior guard from the Bronx, NY, Buie --- who also was named Colonial Athletic Association player of the week --- led the Pride (17-7) to a pair of CAA road wins last week by averaging 20.0 points, 9.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. He shot 64% (16-of-25) from the field overall and 57.1% (8-of-14) from 3-point range in an 86-63 victory over Elon and an 83-60 triumph over William & Mary.
 
Buie, who leads Hofstra this season in scoring (18.5 ppg), assists (5.6) and steals (2.2), posted his third career double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win at Elon. He followed with a game-high 22 points to go with seven assists and three rebounds in the rout of William & Mary.
 
A 6-5 senior forward from Lawrence, NY, Leifer --- who also was named Skyline Conference player of the week for a second straight week--- averaged 20.3 points and 15.3 rebounds with three double-doubles last week to lead the No. 24-ranked Maccabees (17-1) to three victories.
 
Leifer produced 23 points and 14 rebounds in a 74-72 win at Sarah Lawrence. In that game, with Yeshiva trailing 72-71 in the closing seconds, he nailed the game-winning 3-point basket with 6.5 seconds left.
 
Leifer followed with 14 points and 16 rebounds, along with six assists, in an 86-73 homecourt triumph over Purchase, and closed his week by tallying 24 points and 16 rebounds in a 100-79 win at home over Manhattanville.
 
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Division I Honorable Mention for the week: Myles Powell, Seton Hall; Dimencio Vaughn, Rider.
 
Players receiving MBWA Men’s Divisions II-III Honorable Mention for the week: Osbel Caraballo, St. Thomas Aquinas; Spencer Cook, Stevens; Bryan Griffin, Mercy; Brandon Jacobs, Pace; Elijah Lott, Purchase; Billy Veras, Centenary; James Walsh, U.S. Merchant Marine.
 
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 . . . Jan. 21, Myles Powell, Seton Hall, Div. I; Peyton Wejnert, Pace, and Elijah Lott, Purchase, Divs. II-III . . . Jan. 28, Tommy Funk, Army West Point, and Romaro Gill, Seton Hall, Div. I; Gabriel Leifer, Yeshiva, Divs. II-III.