Tuesday, January 20, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Mercer’s Calvin Henry, the Atlantic Sun’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, put on a defensive clinic not seen in the conference in almost four years and for good measure averaged a double-double in two Bears’ wins to capture the Player of the Week award, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

The communications major averaged 16.5 points, 12 rebounds, six blocked shots and 2.5 assists while shooting 71.4 percent from the field as he helped lead Mercer to two wins on the week and increasing its win streak to three. The native of Orlando, Fla., narrowly missed a triple-double with 17 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots in the Bears’ 88-63 win against FGCU on Friday. The nine blocks set a new University Center record, eclipsing his previous record of seven swats, set vs. ETSU on Nov. 30, 2006 and represented the most by an A-Sun player since Lipscomb’s Eddie Ard also rejected nine shots in a Feb. 17, 2005 game against Campbell. Henry followed up with 16 points, a game-high 12 boards and three blocked shots versus Stetson, notching his third straight double and 13th career double-double.

Henry’s outburst moved him to into the national top 10 in blocks per game at an even 3.0. He ranks fourth in the conference in rebounding at 7.7 per game and is one of just 10 players in the A-Sun to be shooting at least 50 percent from the floor, ranking eighth at 51.0 percent.

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

Marcus Allen, Jacksonville (Sr. - C - Hollywood, Fla. - Communication) -- Picked up his third double-double of the season against Campbell, with a season-best 15 rebounds...scored in double figures in both games - leading the team in scoring against UNF...his five blocks is a new season high and pulled him within 11 of the school's all-time top 10...he is now 13 rebounds from joining the school's top 10 in that category...he is four points away from being in 15th place on the school's all-time scoring list.

Garfield Blair, Stetson (Sr. - G - Orlando, Fla. – E-Business Technology) -- Blair sparked a 30-4 second half run and led the Hatters to a comeback win against KSU on the road. He had 15 points, seven rebounds four assists and two turnovers in the game. Sunday at Mercer he scored a season-high 27 points to lead the Hatters to another comeback. The Hatters tied the game with eight seconds left, yet fell by three in overtime.

Bobby Davis, USC Upstate (Sr. - F - Aiken, S.C. - Business Management) -- Led Upstate to a 57-56 victory against Lipscomb to snap a four-game losing streak. Posted a game-high 19 points and scored 14 of Upstate's final 16 points in the win. Scored four unanswered points in the final two minutes to get Upstate within one, setting up Carter Cook's game winner. Also came up with two steals in the final minute, including on Lipscomb's last possession, to seal the win. Also finished with seven rebounds and two steals in the win. in the second with his third foul. Played just 10 minutes in the first half after picking up two fouls and sat early Turned in 11 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals in the Spartans' near upset of Belmont.

Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb (So. - C - Saravejo, Bosnia - Undeclared) -- Continued his low post dominance this week in a three-point loss to ETSU on Saturday and a one-point loss to USC Upstate on Monday. Hodzic set another career high for scoring against ESTU with 30 points on 14-of-16 shooting. Hodzic led the Bisons with 17 points against USC Upstate while being guarded by Nick Schneiders, a 7-foot-3 center that towered six inches over Hodzic. He finished with 8 rebounds against ETSU and six against USC Upstate. For the weekend he shot 65.6 percent from the field (21-of-32). Hodzic's 59.2 percent field goal percentage leads the A-Sun among those making five field goals or more per game. Hodzic has also scored in double-figures 13 times this season and led the Bisons in scoring 11 times.

Kurtis Woods, Kennesaw State (Fr. - G - Huntsville, Ala - Undeclared) -- Had another spectacular week for the Owls as the freshman is continuing to put up top numbers. The Huntsville, Ala. native registered a pair of 18-point games against Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast as he led KSU to a split of two games. Woods connected on nearly half of his shots as he was the only KSU player to score in double figures against Stetson and then matched his total with an 18-point night as he the Owls break their eight-game losing streak.