SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNC Greensboro guard Francis Alonso has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests Dec. 18-23. The award is selected by the league office.
Alonso averaged 20.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in a pair of UNCG wins on the week. The senior from Malaga, Spain, opened his week with 11 points and two rebounds in the Spartans’ low-scoring, 65-58 win over reigning Big South Conference tournament champion Radford on Dec. 18, hitting three 3-pointers in the contest to help UNCG extend is school record to 16 consecutive home wins.
Alonso followed that up with his highest-scoring game of the season, netting 30 points and pulling down five boards in a come-from-behind 83-75 road win at SoCon foe Samford. Alonso converted a school-record 17 free throws, as he was 17-for-21 from the stripe to help the Spartans rally from a 12-point halftime deficit. After the Bulldogs had tied the game at 75 with 1:17 to go, Alonso ended the game on a personal 8-0 run to secure the UNCG victory, hitting five free throws and his third 3-pointer of the day. The 30-point effort was the fourth of Alonso’s career.
UNCG is off to its best start in program history at 12-2 and has won five straight contests. Alonso leads the squad and is second in the SoCon in scoring at 18.9 points per game and has scored in double figures in a career-best 15 straight games dating back to last season.
The Spartans (1-0 SoCon) return to action Saturday, Dec. 29, when they host Chattanooga (6-8, 1-0 SoCon) at 5 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Other nominees: Zane Najdawi (The Citadel), Bo Hodges (ETSU), Ross Cummings (Mercer), Ruben Guerrero (Samford), Kevin Easley (Chattanooga), Bubba Parham (VMI), Kameron Gibson (Western Carolina) and Fletcher Magee (Wofford).
2018-19 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Nov. 13 Josh Sharkey, Samford
Nov. 20 Jordan Lyons, Furman
Nov. 27 Lew Stallworth, The Citadel
Dec. 4 Lew Stallworth, The Citadel
Dec. 11 Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU
Dec. 18 Matt Rafferty, Furman
Dec. 24 Francis Alonso, UNC Greensboro
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