INDIANAPOLIS -- Each setting career highs in victories, Green Bay junior forward Brennan Cougill (Sioux City, Iowa/Bishop Heelan) and Wright State junior guard Julius Mays (Marion, Ind./Marion) have been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week, for the week of Dec. 19-25. The accolades are the first of each player’s career.
In Green Bay’s (6-6, 2-0 Horizon) lone game of the week, Cougill dominated in a 63-61 victory over visiting Idaho on Dec. 22, leading the Phoenix with 19 points and 19 rebounds, both marks setting career highs. The 19 boards matched the Resch Center record. The 6-foot-9 forward scored eight of Green Bay’s final nine points of the game, helping the Phoenix hold off the Vandals down the stretch. In his first year with Green Bay, the junior is averaging 8.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game.
Mays lifted Wright State (6-8, 1-1 Horizon) to a thrilling 80-78 overtime win against Idaho on Dec. 20, where his game-winning three-pointer was replayed across the country on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. The banked-in three gave Mays a career-high 28 points in his first game back from an injury suffered the week prior. On Thursday, Mays helped Wright State go 2-0 on the week with 12 points in a 60-42 victory over Central Michigan.
On the week, Mays averaged 20.0 ppg, handing out 5.0 apg and collecting 4.0 rpg. Mays went 15-for-32 as Wright State won two straight games for the second time this season.
Green Bay and Wright State re-enter Horizon League play this week, with the Phoenix traveling to Butler for a Thursday, Dec. 29 contest. Tip time at Hinkle Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m. ET, with the Horizon League Network carrying the game. Wright State visits Loyola at Gentile Arena for an 8 p.m. ET tip on Dec. 29. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the game.
Top Performers for the Week:
-- Ronald Nored, Butler (Sr., G) - Nored led Butler to a 71-66 win at Stanford, scoring 16 of his career-high 18 points in the second half to fuel a comeback from a five-point halftime deficit. The senior was a career-best 3-of-4 from three-point range at Stanford and was 4-for-6 on the two-game West Coast road trip. Fifth on Butler’s career assists chart, Nored had five assists against both Stanford and Gonzaga.
-- D’Aundray Brown, Cleveland State (Sr., F) - As Cleveland State went 1-1 last week, Brown averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, recording 12 points and seven boards as the Vikings got back on the winning path with a 63-45 victory against Sam Houston State. On the week, Brown shot 50 percent from three-point range and moved into ninth place on the CSU career steals list with 179.
-- Doug Anderson, Detroit (Jr., F) - In Detroit’s 80-56 win over visiting Alabama State, Anderson collected his second career double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Anderson helped fuel the Titans’ 32-13 closing run with several highlight-reel dunks.
-- Ben Averkamp, Loyola (Jr., F) - Collecting his third and fourth consecutive games with 20 or more points, Averkamp helped Loyola extended its winning streak to four games with wins over Rockhurst and Canisius. The Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League pick had 23 points and eight rebounds in a 23-point win over Rockhurst and followed up the effort with 22 points and five boards as Loyola overcame a second-half deficit to knock off Canisius, 59-45.
-- Ryan Allen, Milwaukee (Sr., G/F) - Allen put forth a monster effort in Milwaukee’s 64-50 loss to No. 10/10 Marquette, recording 16 points and 13 rebounds to post the first double-double of his career. With six blocks, the senior set a new Milwaukee Division I record while limiting Marquette’s Darius Johnson-Odom to 4-of-12 shooting and four turnovers.
-- Darrin Williams, UIC (Sr., C) - Shooting 64.7 percent from the floor, Williams controlled the post against both Western Illinois and Dayton. Against the Leathernecks, Williams scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and pulled down seven rebounds. In front of a sold-out crowd at Dayton, Williams chipped in 14 points on a 6-for-9 effort from the field, corralled eight rebounds and recorded two blocks.
-- Will Bogan, Valparaiso (Jr., G) - Bogan went 8-for-15 from three-point range as Valparaiso split a pair of games. In a road win at Northern Illinois, Bogan finished with 15 points before leading Valpo’s rally from a 17-point halftime deficit in an eventual loss to IUPUI. Bogan knocked down four second-half threes as the Crusaders tied the game within the first eight minutes of the second half.
-- DuShawn Brooks, Youngstown State (Sr., F) - Brooks led Youngstown State in scoring in two contests last week, going 12-for-22 from the floor and 9-of-16 from beyond the three-point arc. The senior had 20 points at Akron, including five three-pointers and followed up with 16 points in a last-second loss to Robert Morris.
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
December 19: Andrew Smith, Butler
December 26: Brennan Cougill, Green Bay
Julius Mays, Wright State
Tags: Green Bay - Men's Basketball · Wright State - Men's Basketball
