Tuesday, February 02, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Josh Slater delivered back-to-back career outings last week to give the Lipscomb Bisons critical road wins against Belmont and ETSU. The junior earned his first Player of the Week award, the conference announced on Monday.

For the week Slater averaged 30.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 steals. He shot 48.6 percent from the field and 85.2 percent from the free-throw line. On Tuesday the Bisons traveled three miles down Belmont Boulevard to face off with the Bruins. Despite losing starting point guard Johnny Lee on the first play of the game, Slater and the Bisons rose to the task defeating Belmont 78-72. Slater posted a team-high 26 points for the second consecutive game. The Nashville, Tenn., native finished 12-of-13 from the free throw line, pacing the Bisons, who as a team hit on 26-of-28 from the charity stripe. Slater had four steals which the Bisons converted for eight points.

Saturday the Bisons trudged through the snowy conditions to Johnson City where no current Bison had ever beat ETSU. After tallying just five first half points, Slater posted 30 points after halftime leading the Bisons to an 85-84 overtime victory against the Bucs. He scored 21 of Lipscomb’s final 29 points in regulation and five of the Bisons 12 points in overtime. Slater barely missed a double-double finishing with nine rebounds while dishing out six assists. Slater finished 10-of-22 from the field and 11-of-14 from the free throw line. He drained a career-high four 3-pointers in the victory.

Over the eight games since junior forward Brandon Brown suffered a season-ending shoulder injury, the corporate management major has averaged 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists, and 2.5 steals. On the season he joins Ohio State’s Evan Turner and Canisius’ Frank Turner as the only three players in Division I averaging at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists per game.

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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
Markeith Cummings, Kennesaw State (Fr. - Forward - Birmingham, Ala. – Undeclared) – Cummings led the Owls to a pair of wins increasing their win streak to four, their second-longest Division I winning streak. Cummings averaged 20.5 points and 6.5 rebounds including a 25 -point night at Mercer and a 16-point, nine rebound (season-high six offensive) effort at home versus FGCU. He connected on 17-for-31 from the field, good for a .548 shooting percentage.

Daniel Emerson, Mercer (Sr. - Forward - St. Mary's, Ga. – Business) – Notched double-doubles against Kennesaw State and Stetson. Emerson tallied 18 points in both games while piling up 16 rebounds against the Owls and grabbing 14 boards against the Hatters. Emerson now ranks fifth in the country with 11.8 rebounds per game. Has posted double-doubles in five of last six games.

Ben Smith, Jacksonville (Sr. - Guard - Dublin, Ga. - Sports Administration) – Averaged 22.3 points as JU built its win streak to 10, the longest winning streak since 1980 and tied for the fourth longest in program history. Smith has scored in double figures in 17 straight games, going for 20-plus 11 times this season. His four steals against Upstate give him 211 for his career, breaking the school's career record of 208 set in 1995. He moved into fourth place on the school's all-time scoring list against Upstate, passing Orlando Magic GM Otis Smith.