SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman guard Jordan Lyons was named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week presented by GEICO for all contests from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6 after helping the Paladins to league wins over VMI and ETSU. The award is selected by the league office.

Lyons averaged 27.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game as Furman downed VMI 89-73 and ETSU 65-56. For the week, he shot 62.5 percent from the floor (15-for-24) and 70.0 percent from 3-point range (14-for-20) and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line.

The senior from Peachtree City, Georgia, scored a season-high 40 points in the win over the Keydets on New Year’s Day, going 11-for-15 from the floor overall, 10-for-12 from 3-point range and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line, also adding four assists. Coupled with his career-best 54-point performance last season, Lyons became the first Furman player to score at least 40 points in a game twice in his career since Darrell Floyd (1954-56). His 10 3-pointers were the second-most in a game in school history, trailing only the NCAA Division I-record 15 he hit in his 54-point outburst against North Greenville last season.

Lyons followed that up with a game-high 14 points in the clash against ETSU on Saturday, which saw the Bucs enter ranked No. 5 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, while the Paladins were ninth. Lyons hit another four 3-pointers and both of his free-throw attempts, also pulling down six rebounds as Furman claimed the battle of first-place squads, handing ETSU its first league loss and moving to 3-0 in SoCon games.

Furman (13-3), which jumped up to No. 3 in the mid-major poll with the pair of wins, visits Chattanooga (10-5, 1-1 SoCon) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. before hosting UNC Greensboro (12-4, 2-1) at Bon Secours Wellness Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Other nominees: Kaiden Rice (The Citadel), Isaiah Miller (UNC Greensboro), Josh Sharkey (Samford), Matt Ryan (Chattanooga), Garrett Gilkeson (VMI), Onno Steger (Western Carolina) and Storm Murphy (Wofford).

2019-20 Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Players of the Week presented by GEICO
Nov. 12    Kaleb Hunter, So., G, UNCG
Nov. 19    Mason Faulkner, R-Jr., G, Western Carolina
Nov. 26    Mason Faulkner, R-Jr., G, Western Carolina
Dec. 3    Clay Mounce, Jr., F, Furman
Dec. 10    Carlos Dotson, Sr., F, Western Carolina
Dec. 17    Ethan Stair, R-Sr., G, Mercer
Dec. 24    Jeromy Rodriguez, R-Sr., F, ETSU
Jan. 7    Jordan Lyons, Sr., G, Furman