Monday, February 08, 2010

MACON, Ga. – Belmont moved up to the top of the Atlantic Sun standings thanks in large part to the play of freshman Ian Clark, who on Monday earned his first Player of the Week award, the conference office announced on Monday.

Clark averaged 23.5 points per game, made 12 3-point field goals during the week and provided several memorable moments this past week as Belmont defeated Jacksonville, 73-70, in the A-Sun/CSS Game of the Week, and UNF, 70-56. He also scored nine of his team-high 16 points in the final six minutes of the Bruins' victory against Jacksonville. Clark connected on a clutch 3-pointer with 1:15 left that gave Belmont a 69-63 lead.

On Sunday, the Memphis, Tenn. native scored a career-high tying 31 points on 11-for-14 shooting in the Bruins' home triumph against the Ospreys. Clark's 9-for-11 performance from 3-point territory made him the second freshman in all of college basketball this season to make nine 3-point field goals in a game. The nine treys finished one shy of the Curb Event Center single-game record, held by Andy Wicke. He became the fifth freshman in the country to record a second 30-point game this season. He joins a list that includes Kennesaw State’s Markeith Cummings.

His performance pushed his scoring average up to a team-leading 14.7 points per game. If he can maintain that average, he would post the highest scoring average for a freshman at Belmont since the Bruins moved up to Division I. Wes Burtner holds that record at 14.5 points per game. Clark moved up to third in the NCAA, among freshman, on the made 3-point field goals list with 61. Only Florida Atlantic’s Greg Gantt (68) and South Dakota’s Jake Thomas (65) have made more this season than Clark. No freshman in the A-Sun has hit as many 3-point field goals as Clark since Wicke made 63 in 2005-06.

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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
Isiah Brown, ETSU (So. - Forward - Miami - Broadcasting) – Brown helped the Bucs to a 2-0 record and back into the conference race last week. The sophomore forward scored a game high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the road win versus FGCU on Thursday. Brown followed that performance with a 14-point, seven rebound effort in the win at Stetson.

Spencer Dixon, Kennesaw State (So. - Guard - Kennesaw. Ga. - Undeclared) – Dixon had a strong week for the Owls as he led them to a 2-1 record including scoring 16 points in KSU's second win against Mercer in nine days. The sophomore guard averaged 12.3 points and 5.0 rebounds in wins versus Mercer and Stetson.

Adnan Hodzic, Lipscomb (Jr. - Center - Sarajevo, Bosnia - Management) – Hodzic averaged 22.7 points and 11.7 rebounds while shooting 59.6 percent from the floor last week. Last Monday, Hodzic scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in Lipscomb’s last-second road win at Campbell. The junior center paced the Bisons with 23 points and 13 rebounds versus UNF on Friday night. Lipscomb rebounded on Sunday to roll past Jacksonville 79-61 with Hodzic controlling the low post with 21 points and 11 rebounds. The management major connected on nine of his first ten attempts from the floor.