Tuesday, January 27, 2009

MACON, Ga. - Belmont’s Alex Renfroe cleared the glass in a way that would have impressed former Bruins like Boomer Herndon, Adam Mark and Adam Sonn on his way to claiming his second Player of the Week award, the conference announced on Tuesday

Renfroe averaged 19.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per game as Belmont defeated Kennesaw State and Mercer this past week. The 6-2 point guard scored a team-high 24 points, pulled down a career-high 18 rebounds and dished out five assists in Belmont's 86-82 overtime victory against Mercer on Monday. Renfroe also had 14 points, five rebounds and five assists in the Bruins' 75-66 defeat of Kennesaw State two days earlier.

The 18 rebounds by the senior exercise science major tied him with Alabama’s Alonzo Gee for the most rebounds in a single game by a guard this season. He established the most rebounds by a guard in the Atlantic Sun since the Bruins joined the conference in 2001. No A-Sun backcourt player had accumulated at many rebounds in a single game since UCF’s Brad Traina grabbed 19 against Centenary on Jan. 9, 1997

Renfroe shot a remarkable 15-for-20 (.750) from the floor for the week. The Hermitage, Tenn. native ranks in the Top 15 in the Atlantic Sun in eight statistical categories. He also ranks among the nation's leaders in rebounds from the backcourt position.

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

Lehmon Colbert, Jacksonville (Jr. - F - Roberta, Ga. - Geography) -- Scored a career-high 28 points, with 23 coming in the first half, to lead JU to a win at Stetson for the first time since 2005. - His five 3-pointers against Stetson is a new career high. - He became the second Dolphin to hit all of his 3-point attempts (min. 5), joining James Daniels who went 5-for-5 against FAU in 2002. - He has put up double figures in scoring during the last six games. - The double-double against FGCU was his first of the season and the fifth of his career. - The 28 point outing at Stetson was his fourth career 20-point outing. It is the second highest scoring output by a Dolphin this season. - He enters this week with 960 career points, just 40 away from becoming the third Dolphin this season to join the 1,000-point club.

Eni Cuka, UNF (Jr. - G - Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Sociology) -- Led the Ospreys this past week, averaging 13.5 points and four rebounds in splitting a pair of games against Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson ... Cuka finished as the team's high scorer in both games, topping the week off with a 17-point performance in a win against Stetson ... he also had three assists and four steals on the week and knocked down three shots from beyond the arc.

Nick Schneiders, USC Upstate (Jr. - C - Rietberg, Germany - Graphic Design) -- Posted his first double-double of the year, and the second of his career, with 10 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots and two assists in the 73-65 win against Campbell. He helped Upstate weather the storm in the second half as Campbell rallied to within five with Spartan Bobby Davis on the bench. Schneiders converted a three-point play with under four minutes to play to push the Upstate lead back to nine to turn back the Camel comeback attempt. In a 10-point loss at ETSU, Schneiders was solid, finishing with 16 points, eight boards and a block

Josh Slater, Lipscomb (So. - G - Nashville, Tenn. - Undeclared) -- Led the Bisons to two crucial A-Sun wins over the weekend. In Saturday’s 84-68 win versus Mercer, Slater scored a career high 21 points to lead the Bisons. He barely missed a double-double with nine rebounds. He also had two assists, two blocks, and a steal in 28 minutes of action. In Monday’s 90-78 win against Kennesaw State, Slater scored 16 points and had three rebounds, three steals and two assists. For the weekend, Slater had scored 37 points (18.5/game) on 10-of-20 shooting (50 percent). Slater was five-of-seven (57.1 percent) from the 3-point line and 13-of-16 from the free throw line (81.3 percent). Over the last five games, Slater is averaging 17.4 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 45.6 percent from the field (26-of-57), 57.9 percent from the three (11-of-19), and 85.7 percent from the free throw line (24-of-28).

Mike Smith, ETSU (Jr. - G - Vandalia, Mo. - Business) -- Scored a season high 22 points in back-to-back games, leading the Buccaneers to wins over Campbell and USC Upstate last week ... For the week, Smith shot 64 percent from the floor on 16-of-25 shooting, while posting a 5-of-10 clip from 3-point range and perfect 7-for-7 mark at the foul line ... He also averaged 5.5 rebounds a game, dished out 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals.