INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso senior forward Ryan Broekhoff (Frankston, Victoria, Australia/Australian Institute of Sport) and UIC senior guard Gary Talton [Dallas, Texas/DeSoto (Mountain View CC)] are the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week, while Flames’ senior forward Josh Crittle [Bellwood, Ill./Hales Franciscan (Central Florida)] is the Newcomer of the Week, for the week of Nov. 19-25.
Valparaiso (5-1) tied for the best record at the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic, winning the Valparaiso Regional after posting a 67-46 victory over Chicago State and a 77-64 triumph over Bethune-Cookman. UIC (4-1) bookended the week with wins, knocking off Iona, 86-81, to take fourth at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam on Monday ahead of a 56-45 victory against Southeast Missouri.
Shaking off an illness from the previous week, Broekhoff led the Crusaders in scoring in both games, opening with a 15-point, 5-rebound effort in the 21-point win over Chicago State. Twenty-four hours later, Broekhoff exploded for 30 points against Bethune-Cookman, setting a new career high. The 2012 Horizon League Player of the Year, Broekhoff matched his previous career high with 26 points in the first half.
Broekhoff is tied for fourth in the Horizon League in both scoring (17.0 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Among players used on at least 24-percent of the team’s possessions, Broekhoff’s 125.0 offensive rating is 29th nationally, per KenPom.com.
Talton capped off UIC’s 2-1 effort at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam by scoring 17 points and dishing out seven assists against just one turnover in UIC’s 86-81 win over Iona on Monday. In the Flames’ 56-45 victory over Southeast Missouri, Talton scored 14 points, corralled a career-high nine rebounds and had two assists in 37 minutes of action.
On the week, Talton committed just two turnovers in 74 total minutes; the point guard is the primary reason why UIC’s 15.5 turnover percentage is 13th in the country. The senior’s 4.6 assist-turnover ratio leads the Horizon League, while his 4.6 assists per game ranks second.
With Talton controlling play on the perimeter, Crittle emerged as a force down low for the Flames, posting consecutive double-digit scoring games. Against the Gaels, Crittle chipped in 13 points, pulled down four rebounds, dished out two assists and had one block in 32 minutes, adding a 7-for-9 effort at the free-throw line.
In the Flames’ 11-point win over SEMO, Crittle posted his first-career double-double, scoring a career-high 17 points and corralling a career-best and game-high 12 rebounds.
Valparaiso will be off until Sunday, Dec. 2, when the Crusaders head to St. Louis for a 4:30 p.m. ET tip. UIC will be on the road this week, beginning with an 8 p.m. ET tip at Northern Illinois on Tuesday, Nov. 27. The Flames will wrap the week on Saturday, Dec. 1, returning to the city to meet Northwestern at 2 p.m. ET. BTN.com will have the live stream of the game.
Top Performers for the Week:
Charlie Lee, Cleveland State (So., G) - Averaged 17.5 ppg and 4.5 apg in the final two games of the NIT Season Tip-Off, including 20 against Robert Morris.
Nick Minnerath, Detroit (Sr., F) - Led Detroit with a season-high 22 points at Miami, including a game-high five three-pointers.
Brennan Cougill, Green Bay (Sr., F) - Had a season-high 19 points at Idaho ahead of a 12-point, 6-rebound effort in Green Bay’s 74-59 win over NDSU.
Ben Averkamp, Loyola (Sr., F) - Posted his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in Loyola’s win at Northern Illinois.
Hayden Humes, UIC (Jr., F) - Led UIC in scoring against both New Mexico and Mercer, posting 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Miles Dixon, Wright State (Jr., G) - Averaged a team-best 13.3 ppg at the Utah Thanksgiving Tournament, including 16 in WSU’s 60-45 win over Idaho State.
Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State (Jr., G) - Had a career-high 34 points in YSU’s 83-80 overtime loss to NDSU, including the game-tying three with 3.4 seconds to play.
Top Newcomers for the Week:
Junior Lomomba, Cleveland State (Fr., G) - Made his season debut at Robert Morris, scoring eight points and adding four assists in 25 minutes.
Sultan Muhammad, Green Bay (Jr., G) - Poured in 13 points on the strength of four three-pointers in his first career start in Green Bay’s victory over NDSU.
Cully Payne, Loyola (Jr., G) - Pitched in a season-high 10 points at NIU, his first double-figure scoring effort with the Ramblers.
Bobby Capobianco, Valparaiso (Jr., F) - Returned from injury to post a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double in his Valparaiso debut.
Men’s Basketball Player of the Week:
Nov. 12: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay
Nov. 19: Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State
Nov. 26: Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso
Gary Talton, UIC
Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Week:
Nov. 12: Jordan Aaron, Milwaukee
Bobby Hain, Youngstown State
Nov. 19: JT Yoho, Wright State
Nov. 26: Josh Crittle, UIC
Tags: Horizon League - Men's Basketball · UIC - Men's Basketball · Valparaiso - Men's Basketball
