Men's Basketball Southern Conference

Furman's Rafferty named player of the week

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman senior forward Matt Rafferty has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests Feb. 12-18. The award is selected by the league office.

Rafferty posted a pair of double-doubles in home wins over UNC Greensboro and VMI, averaging 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game. For the week, he shot 70.6 percent from the floor, making 12 of his 17 attempts. He was also 13-for-15 from the free-throw line (.867) and had a blocked shot in each contest.

Against the Spartans on Thursday, Rafferty notched 26 points, 10 rebounds, five steals and two assists as the Paladins snapped UNCG’s eight-game win streak with a 67-57 triumph. Rafferty was 10-for-13 from the floor (.769), making his lone 3-point attempt, and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line (.833).

Two days later, the Hinsdale, Illinois, native scored 12 points and pulled down 10 boards, adding seven assists in 25 minutes of action as Furman dropped VMI 96-62. Rafferty was 2-for-4 from the floor and 8-for-9 from the line.

Furman (22-5, 11-4 SoCon) hosts league-leading Wofford (23-4, 15-0) on Saturday in a 4 p.m. battle that will air live on ESPN3. The Paladins will be seeking to avenge a 59-54 loss to the Terriers from Jan. 19.

Other nominees: Lew Stallworth (The Citadel), Isaiah Tisdale (ETSU), Ross Cummings (Mercer), Josh Sharkey (Samford), Jerry Johnson Jr. (Chattanooga), Bubba Parham (VMI), Onno Steger (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, UNCG
Dec. 31 Jeromy Rodriguez, ETSU
Jan. 8 Matt Rafferty, Furman
Jan. 15 Ross Cummings, Mercer
Jan. 22 Kevin Easley, Chattanooga
Jan. 29 Patrick Good, ETSU
Feb. 5 Onno Steger, Western Carolina
Feb. 12 Fletcher Magee, Wofford
Feb. 19 Matt Rafferty, Furman

-www.SoConSports.com-