Five Lone Star Conference men’s basketball teams opened the 2020-21 season with 2-0 records including No. 15 St. Edward’s who picked up a pair of non-conference wins. DBU, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Midwestern State and UT Permian Basin also completed the opening weekend undefeated.
LSC schedule and results available here:
https://lonestarconference.org/calendar.aspx?path=mbball
LSC BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
The LSC Men’s Basketball Championship is set for March 2-5-6, 2021, with quarterfinal games on campus sites on Tuesday, March 2. The four winning teams will advance to the final site at the highest remaining seed to play semifinal games on Friday, March 5, followed by the championship game on Saturday, March 6. The top eight teams will qualify for the tournament based on the recently announced
basketball point rating system. The divisional champions will automatically qualify for the tournament and be seeded according to the point rating system. All teams must play a minimum of 11 games to qualify for the conference tournament.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Chandler Jacobs, DBU, SR, Accounting, G, Missouri City, Texas, Elkins HS
Chandler Jacobs led the Patriots to a pair of wins over Angelo State, averaging 24.0 points per game and 8.0 rebounds per game. Jacobs connected on 18-of-25 shots to shoot a blistering .720 from the field and connected on 10-of-14 shots from three-point range. In the Patriots' season opener, Jacobs went 10-of-12 from the field and led all scorers with 25 points. On Saturday, Jacobs drained seven three-pointers and scored a game-high 23 points. The senior also added 7 assists in the two games to average 3.5 for the weekend. This is Jacobs’ second career player of the week award in the LSC and his first of the season.
DEFENSIVE
Logan Cook, St. Edward's, SR, Economics/Finance, F, Muenster, Texas, Muenster HS
Logan Cook posted his first career double-double during a 2-0 opening weekend for the Hilltoppers in game two against Texas A&M International. Cook scored 12 points while pulling down 13 rebounds including eight on the offensive glass. The senior also added five steals and a block in the contest. The Muenster, Texas native’s defensive presence and rebounding was a difference maker as the Hilltoppers secured two wins to open the season holding TAMIU to 68.5 points per game. The award is Cook’s first player of the week honor in the LSC.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive
D-14 Chandler Jacobs, DBU
Defensive
D-14 Logan Cook, St. Edward's
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
B.J. Maxwell, St. Edward’s, was a catalyst for the Hilltoppers in their first contests of the 2020-21 season. He averaged 19.5 points while shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. In an overtime win over Texas A&M International on night two, Maxwell's three and jumper proved to be the difference maker for the Hilltoppers in the victory.
Micah Fuller, UT Tyler, scored a game-high 25 points in an 82-80 loss to UT Permian Basin, and led the Patriots in the opening weekend with 19.5 points per game. Fuller was 12-24 from the floor shooting .500 while adding four assists over the two games.
Trevion Lamar, UT Permian Basin, became the first Falcon this season to eclipse the 20-point plateau with his offensive explosion on Saturday. The senior scored 22 points in just 29 minutes of action, while also dishing out five assists. Lamar keyed a nine-point second-half comeback as the Falcons pulled off the sweep over UT Tyler. Lamar was also a force on the defensive end, grabbing 16 rebounds and four steals.
Daniel Kiely, Texas A&M International, was the driving force for the Dustdevils in the pair of non-conference losses to No. 15 St. Edward's last week. Kiely's season-high 21 points and .750 shooting percentage on Saturday played a large part in helping TAMIU force the Hilltoppers to overtime. He also was the scorer for the Dustdevils in the season-opening loss on Friday with 12 points.
Jordan Wilson, Texas A&M-Kingsville, scored 32 total points to help the Javelinas start the season 2-0 with back-to-back wins over UAFS. Wilson poured in a team-high 24 points, hitting 9-of-15 from the field, including four three-pointers, to help TAMUK win 84-74 in his first appearance for the Javelinas. In Saturday's rematch with the Lions, the junior guard added two more triples en route to eight points in an 89-58 triumph. For the week, Wilson shot better than 54 percent from the floor and was 6-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Pierre Sanders, Midwestern State, played a key role in leading Midwestern State to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2016. The freshman came off the bench to deliver a solid all-around line averaging 11.5 points, seven assists and 5.5 rebounds in wins at Cameron. He made four steals and snagged five defensive rebounds for the top field goal percentage defense in the LSC. Sanders boasted the top +/- number per 40 minutes for the Mustangs at 27.6. The 5-10 guard scored a team-high 15 points with eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals in his collegiate debut -- a 98-75 win on Friday against Cameron. The LSC assist leader went for eight points, six assists and four rebounds in a 75-70 win over Aggies on Saturday. MSU limited Cameron to 72.5 points and 40.5 percent shooting.
Emanuel Gant, UT Tyler, was the Patriots' opening-weekend leader in rebounds with 17, assists with 7, blocks with 2, and steals with 4 in a pair of narrow defeats to UT Permian Basin. Gant helped hold the Falcons to 43.0 percent shooting from the floor.
Sammy Brooks, Texas A&M-Kingsville, grabbed four steals and eight rebounds to help the Javelinas limit UAFS to 66.0 points per game in two Javelina victories. He also posted a scoring average of 12.5 points per game during the season's first week. In the season opener, Brooks scored 16 points, led the Hogs with five rebounds and five assists and swiped three steals as the Javs topped the Lions 84-74. He added nine more points, three rebounds and another steal in an 89-58 victory on Saturday.
Tre Thomas, Texas A&M International, led the Dustdevils on the defensive side of the ball against No. 15 St. Edward's in a non-conference series this week. Thomas racked up 14 defensive rebounds with two steals and a block against the Hilltoppers.