Wednesday, November 17, 2010

MACON, Ga. – The Atlantic Sun earned its first win in more than 13 years when Stetson toppled Wake Forest. Not to be outdone, Kennesaw State throttled Georgia Tech three days. Members of both teams, Ridge Graham, Spencer Dixon and Aaron Anderson earned the league’s first weekly awards of 2010¬-11, the conference announced on Wednesday

CO-PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:
Ridge Graham, Stetson (So. – Stuart, Fla. – Sport Management)

• First A-Sun Player of the Week award
• Second consecutive season he hit a double-double (21points, 12 rebounds) in opening game 
• Led team to 89-79 road win over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem
• First Stetson win over an ACC opponent since February 10, 1982 when the Hatters defeated Duke 88-81 at home
• First win for an A-Sun team against the ACC since College of Charleston beat Maryland in the 1997 NCAA Tournament

Spencer Dixon, Kennesaw State (Jr. – Marietta, Ga. – Sport Management)

• First A-Sun Player of the Week award
• Logged a career-high nine assists in the Owls 82-62 victory against Georgia Southwestern
• Reached the 500-point plateau for this career in season opener
• Racked up 27 points, a career high, plus six assists, in 80-63 win against Georgia Tech
• A-Sun’s first win against Georgia Tech since Jan. 1993

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Isiah Brown (Jr., ETSU) –   Scored career-high 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and shot 12-of-19 in the Buccaneers’ season opener at No. 10 Kentucky.

• Andy Diaz (So., UNF) – Tallied double-digit points in both games and was team's leading rebounder against both  Florida State and No. 4 Pittsburgh

• Tony Dukes (So., USC Upstate) – Paced the Spartans at Virginia with a 5-for-5 performance from beyond the three point arc en route to 19 points.

• Brandon Moore (Sr., Mercer) – Averaged a double-double on the week (16 ppg, 10 rpg), including a 19-point, 13-rebound effort in loss at UTEP.

• Glenn Powell (So., Jacksonville) – Recorded a career-high 18 points, 14 in 1st half vs Miami

• Josh Slater (Sr., Lipscomb) – Totaled 21 points,  nine rebounds, both team highs, against No. 8 UNC. Scored 18 points, brought down a team-high 10 rebounds against Stillman College.

NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK:
Aaron Anderson, Kennesaw State (So. – Tucson, Ariz. – Sport Management)

• First A-Sun Newcomer of the Week award
• Kicked off his Owl career with 19 points, six rebounds in debut against Georgia Southwestern
• 19-point performance tied for the most for a player in their Owls debut since 2005.
• Scored nine points, grabbed 10 rebounds in the Owls thrilling, 80-63 win over Georgia Tech
• Tied for the team lead with 16 total rebounds over their first two games. 

OTHER NOMINEES:

• Robert Boyd (Fr., Lipscomb) – Scored 13 points in debut at No. 8 North Carolina. Led Bisons with 20 points against Stillman College.

• Aaron Graham (Fr., Stetson) – Played 25 minutes off the bench scoring 11 points, grabbed six rebounds and delivered three assists and two steals in win at Wake Forest.

• Eric Griffin (Jr., Campbell) – In debut totaled 13 points and nine rebounds at No. 21 Virginia Tech. Collected 15 points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three steals at ECU.

• Keith McDougald (Fr., Jacksonville) – 11 points, team high 7 rebounds in debut vs Miami

• Parker Smith (So., UNF) – Scored team-leading 16 points in UNF debut at Florida State. Scored 10 straight points in a 14-0 run by the Ospreys at FSU

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 five 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.