INDIANAPOLIS -- Leading Cleveland State to a 2-0 mark, senior guard Trey Harmon (Pasadena, Calif./Pasadena) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Dec. 5-11. The accolade is the first of the year for Harmon, who last collected the honors on Jan. 3, 2011.
Harmon helped Cleveland State (10-1, 2-0 Horizon) build on the second-best opening to a season in program history as the Vikings concluded a seven-game road trip with a 62-58 win at Robert Morris before a 69-66 home victory against Akron on Saturday. In beating the Zips, Cleveland State swept the “Backyard Battles” against both Akron and Kent State for the second consecutive season.
On Thursday, Harmon lifted the Vikings on the road, matching his career high with 24 points against Robert Morris. Harmon was 7-of-13 from the field, including a 4-of-8 mark from three-point range as Cleveland State built a 16-point lead in the second half before holding on down the stretch.
Harmon tied for game-high scoring honors in the three-point win versus Akron, netting 16 points as he knocked down 4-of-6 attempts from behind the three-point arc. With the victory, Cleveland State improved to 7-0 this season in games decided by five points or less.
Cleveland State will be off this week for finals, resuming non-conference play on Monday, Dec. 19, with a trip to Tampa, Fla., to meet South Florida. The game will tip at 7 p.m. ET, with ESPN3 providing coverage. The Vikings will return to the Wolstein Center on Thursday, Dec. 22, hosting Sam Houston State at 7 p.m. ET, live on the Horizon League Network.
Top Performers for the Week:
-- Khyle Marshall, Butler (So., F) - Marshall put on a tour-de-force effort against Ball State, recording 21 points and 16 rebounds in Butler’s three-point loss. The sophomore’s 16 rebounds were the most by a Bulldog since Jan. 16, 2011.
-- Ray McCallum, Detroit (So., G) - The sophomore helped Detroit break in “Dick Vitale Court” in front of a national television audience with 21 points in a 69-63 win over St. John’s, then added a 14-point, six-assist, five-rebound effort in a 92-81 victory against Western Michigan. In a 62-54 loss at No. 16/15 Alabama, McCallum added a team-high 13 points, six boards and four assists.
-- Alec Brown, Green Bay (So., C) - At No. 11/11 Marquette, Brown dominated the low block, recording career highs with 22 points and 14 rebounds, adding five blocks to his output. On the week, Brown averaged 16.5 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 3.0 bpg as Green Bay took on two top-15 opponents, falling at No. 14/16 Wisconsin and to Marquette.
-- Ben Averkamp, Loyola (Jr., F) - Averkamp led Loyola’s comeback from a 14-point deficit at Toledo, scoring a career high 31 points in a 57-55 road win. The junior collected his final two points of the game as time expired, hitting a 15-foot jumper from the baseline to send the Ramblers to their first victory on the road this year. On the week, Averkamp averaged 18.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg as Loyola went 1-1.
-- Kaylon Williams, Milwaukee (Sr., G) - The senior point guard led Milwaukee in scoring in both games last week, as the Panthers split a pair of games, winning at DePaul and falling at Northern Iowa. Against DePaul, Williams helped the Panthers lead by as many as 24 points, scoring 21 points and handing out five assists. Williams paced Milwaukee against UNI, finishing with 16 points.
-- Marc Brown, UIC (Fr., G) - In UIC’s lone game of the week, Brown poured in 15 points, leading the Flames to a 62-55 win over Northern Illinois. Going 3-for-5 from three-point range, Brown is averaging 10.3 ppg and is shooting 62 percent from three-point range in four games at the UIC Pavilion this year.
-- Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso (Jr., F) - Broekhoff recorded 20 points in each of Valparaiso’s games this week, helping the Crusaders rebound from a defeat at IPFW to beat Bowling Green, 82-79. The junior ranks in the Horizon League’s top 10 in seven different categories and leads the League in rebounds.
-- Cole Darling, Wright State (So., F) - In Wright State’s 51-49 win at Miami, Darling matched his career high with 13 points. Darling added six rebounds and two blocks as the Raiders knocked off their southwestern Ohio rivals.
-- Blake Allen, Youngstown State (Jr., F) - Allen was part of a shooting effort at Buffalo that saw Youngstown State match the school record for three pointers in a game for the third time this season, hitting five of the Penguins’ 14. The junior finished with 17 points in the 80-72 defeat after scoring 14 in a 34-point win on Tuesday. On the year, Allen has made 31 three-pointers, pacing the Horizon League with 3.4 per game.
Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
November 14: D’Aundray Brown, Cleveland State
November 21: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
November 28: James Haarsma, Milwaukee
December 5: DuShawn Brooks, Youngstown State
December 12: Trey Harmon, Cleveland State
