Tuesday, December 09, 2008

MACON, Ga. - ETSU's Kevin Tiggs continued his career dominance against Marshall and Mercer en route to winning the third Player of the Week award of his career, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

Tiggs enjoyed two fantastic games last week, scoring a career high 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting in a win at Marshall and also posted four steals. The senior from Flint, Mich., followed up that performance with a game-high 21 points in a victory against Mercer, while dishing out four assists and grabbing seven boards. For the week, Tiggs averaged 26 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. He shot 55 percent from the floor, including a 40 percent clip from beyond the 3-point arc. These performances only boosted his career totals against the schools. In five career games against Marshall and Mercer, the business major has averaged 25.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while shooting an even 60 percent from the floor (51-for-85) and grabbing 2.0 steals per game. He has one more chance to build on this numbers, facing Mercer in the regular-season finale on Feb. 28

The week for Tiggs shot him up the A-Sun leaderboards and enters this week as the second-leading scorer in the conference at 19.6 points per game. He ranks as one of nine players in the conference shooting greater than 50.0 percent from the floor, and he has taken the most shots among those nine players. His 2.25 steals per game places him fourth in the conference. Only 24 other players in the country are averaging at least 19.0 points per game and connecting on more than half of his shots

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers

Daniel Emerson, Mercer (Jr. - F - St. Mary's, Ga. – Business) -- Emerson notched his fourth double-double of the season vs. USC Upstate with 16 points and 12 rebounds (11 on the defensive end). His inside bucket midway through the opening half ignited a 10-4 run, giving Mercer a cushion; Followed up with a career-high and game-high 20 points vs. ETSU - his fifth consecutive game reaching double figures in the scoring column

Derrick O'Neil, FGCU (Jr. - F - Moreno Valley, Calif. - Business) -- Led the Eagles to a 1-1 record last week. O’Neil registered a game-high 27 points, to lead FGCU a 60-55 victory against FAU; Turned in the best performance by an Eagle this year, scoring 27 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-1 from 3-point range. He also converted 12-of-16 free throws, pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, and added three steals, two assists, and two blocks. In the Eagles tough loss at Stetson, O'Neil had another solid game for FGCU grabbing a career-high 16 boards and scoring seven points.

A.J. Smith, Stetson (Jr. - G - Cocoa, Fla. - Pre-Engineering) -- Led all scorers in Stetson's 76-71 win over FGCU. He led the offense to an 18-0 run in the final 2:30 to finish the game. In addition to season highs of 20 points and six assists, he delivered three rebounds and two steals.

Ben Smith, Jacksonville (Jr. - G - Dublin, Ga. - Sports Administration) -- Hit two free throws with 6.6 seconds left to lead JU past Belmont, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Bruins...has scored in double figures in six straight games...led the team in scoring against Lipscomb. Averaged 17.0 ppg and 3.0 spg while shooting 55.6 FG Pct and 66.7 3-pt FG Pct.