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DENVER – (Jan. 2) Senior guard Brendan Westendorf has been named Western Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for the week of Dec. 26-Jan. 1. This is his first WAC Player of the Week honor of the season and the second of his career.
The Auburn, Wash., native averaged 22.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 2.5 assists per game as the Redhawks went 1-1 in their final week of non-conference play. Westendorf opened the week with a team-high 17 points to go with five rebounds, three steals and two assists in a 72-65 setback to UC Davis on Dec. 28. He followed it up with a career outing in a thrilling come-from-behind victory at UC Santa Barbara to secure the team’s first road win of the season.
Westendorf poured in a career-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including six three-pointers, to lead Seattle U to the 80-76 win. He also added four rebounds, a game-high four steals and three assists. Westendorf drained three consecutive three-pointers to give his team its first lead since scoring the game’s first bucket. He added a layup for a personal 11-0 run that was part of an improbable 31-7 run. Westendorf’s jumper with 41 seconds remaining gave the Redhawks the lead for good. His 28 points marks his fourth 20-point game this season and the third time he has raised his career high this season.
Other nominees included: Fred Sims Jr. of Chicago State averaged 22.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in a pair of losses ... Kyle Steward of UMKC finished with 15 points, four rebounds and two steals in a loss at Mississippi State ... NM State’s Ian Baker averaged 21.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.0 steals as the Aggies extended their win streak to 11 games ... Antonio Green of UT Rio Grande Valley averaged 25.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game and averaged seven three-pointers per game in a pair of wins over non Division I opponents ... Utah Valley’s Conner Toolson averaged 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists as the Wolverines went 1-1 last week.