|
2/17/2009 - MEN'S BASKETBALL
Hodzic Hoists Bisons on Back to Win Weekly Honor
|
Print
This Week in A-Sun Men's Basketball
Courtesy LipscombSports.com
MACON, Ga. - Facing a three-game in five-day gauntlet that featured two of the Atlantic Sun’s frontrunners, Lipscomb’s Adnan Hodzic pushed the Bisons back to a .500 conference record to earn his second Player of the Week award of the season, the conference office announced on Tuesday.
Hodzic, a sophomore center from Sarajevo, Bosnia dominated the low post throughout the week as Lipscomb won consecutive home games against Belmont, USC Upstate, and ETSU. Hodzic averaged 19.3 points on 61.9 percent shooting and 9.7 rebounds. Hodzic scored 28 points and pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds as the Bisons broke a three-game losing streak to Belmont with a 73-68 victory in the A-Sun Game of the Week Thursday evening. He also set a Lipscomb NCAA-era record with 13 made field goals.
Two days later, Hodzic posted 18 points and 12 rebounds as the Bisons cruised to a 77-44 victory over USC Upstate, for his third double-double in a row. Hodzic capped his week by scoring 12 points in 18 minutes of action in Lipscomb's 96-91 victory against ETSU. The win snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Buccaneers. Hodzic has scored in double figures in 21 consecutive games, one game shy of the Lipscomb NCAA-era record (Brian Fisk, 22 straight from Dec. 8, 2005 to Feb. 24, 2006).
Hodzic is ranked 15th in the nation, shooting 60.6 percent from the field. Lipscomb has now won six of its last eight games. During this span Hodzic averaged 17.9 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 63.6 percent from the floor and 77.5 percent from the free throw line. He owns the highest scoring increase in the A-Sun from last season, increasing his output by eight points per game, up from 8.9 points per game as a freshman.
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
Garfield Blair, Stetson (Sr. - G - Orlando, Fla. - E Business) -- Blair scored 20+ points in all three games this week including back-to-back double-doubles. He also scored his 1,500th career point and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds at Mercer. Vs. Mercer had 24 pts, 16 rebs, 4 assists, 2 blocks and a steal
Daniel Emerson, Mercer (Jr. - F - St. Mary's, Ga. - Business) -- Emerson averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds to help lead Mercer to its first five-game win streak in more than five years and its third-highest win total in the last quarter century. The junior forward scored a game-high 23 points at FGCU and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds, narrowly missing his league-leading 11th double-double of the season. He knocked down 7-of-10 shots from the field against the Eagles and also hit 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. The St. Mary’s native notched his 11th double-double in the overtime win at Stetson, scoring 13 points, while grabbing a team-high 15 boards. His old-fashioned three-point play with 2:15 left in overtime gave the Bears a five-point advantage. Emerson scored four points and collected four rebounds in the extra frame to help secure the win.
Alex Renfroe, Belmont (Sr. - G - Hermitage, Tenn. - Exercise Science) -- Renfroe recorded his fourth and fifth double-doubles of the season this past week, averaging 20.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game over the three game stretch. The 6-2 point guard had 24 points, 10 rebounds and six assists at Lipscomb Feb. 12, 16 points and four assists against ETSU Feb. 14, and 22 points, 12 rebounds and four assists Feb. 16 against USC Upstate. Renfroe leads the Atlantic Sun Conference in assists, and ranks among the league leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. He is among the nation's leaders in rebounding from the guard position.
