SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman guard Andrew Brown has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests from Feb. 20-25 after averaging 16 points in a 3-0 week for the Paladins. The award is selected by the league office and is the final one of the season.
Brown also averaged 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game and shot 68 percent (17-for-25) from the floor and 63.2 percent (12-for-19) from 3-point range as Furman downed VMI at home and Western Carolina and league-leading ETSU on the road.
The junior from Travelers Rest, South Carolina, opened his week with a game-high 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the 76-54 win over the Keydets on Feb. 20. Brown also had three rebounds, three steals and two assists in 17 minutes off the bench on Furman’s Senior Night.
Brown returned to the starting lineup in a 78-55 win at Western Carolina and responded with a career-high 22 points on 8-for-11 shooting, including a 6-for-9 effort from beyond the arc, adding four rebounds. He then capped his week with 11 points and four boards in a 79-76 road win at ETSU, which entered the contest tied atop the league standings and ranked No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
Furman, which is 22-9 this year, finished third at 13-5 in the SoCon standings and has won its last six contests. The Paladins claimed the No. 3 seed in the SoCon Men’s Basketball Championship presented by General Shale in Asheville, North Carolina, and will face No. 6 seed Western Carolina (13-18, 8-10) for the second time in a little more than a week when the two square off in the tournament quarterfinals at 8:30 p.m. Saturday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
Other nominees: Zane Najdawi (The Citadel), Desonta Bradford (ETSU), Jordan Strawberry (Mercer), Francis Alonso (UNCG), Eric Adams (Samford), Marc Gosselin (Western Carolina) and Cameron Jackson (Wofford).
2017-18 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Nov. 14 Ria’n Holland, Mercer
Nov. 21 Fletcher Magee, Wofford
Nov. 28 Devin Sibley, Furman
Dec. 5 Francis Alonso, UNCG
Dec. 12 Fletcher Magee, Wofford
Dec. 19 Marvin Smith, UNCG
Jan. 2 Cameron Jackson, Wofford
Jan. 9 Peter Jurkin, ETSU
Jan. 16 Zane Najdawi, The Citadel
Jan. 23 Justin Coleman, Samford
Jan. 30 Desonta Bradford, ETSU
Feb. 6 Zane Najdawi, The Citadel
Feb. 13 James Dickey, UNCG
Feb. 20 Fletcher Magee, Wofford
Feb. 26 Andrew Brown, Furman
-www.SoConSports.com-