SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chattanooga graduate student Jake Stephens has been named the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for all contests from Nov. 28 to Dec. 4 after averaging 26.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on the week. The award is selected by the league office.
 
Stephens opened his week with 27 points, matching the season high he posted the game prior, and 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season in the Mocs’ 81-74 win at Tennessee Tech on Wednesday, which put Chattanooga over .500 for the first time on the season. The 7-0 center was 7-for-10 from the floor, including 3-of-5 shooting (.600) from 3-point range, and hit 10 of his 12 free-throw attempts (.833). Stephens added a season-high six assists and two blocked shots.
 
In UTC’s 82-71 win at Gardner-Webb on Saturday, the Bunker Hill, West Virginia, native scored 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds, narrowly missing another double-double. He was 8-for-13 (.615) from the floor, going 3-for-6 from 3-point range and converting 7-of-8 free-throw tries (.875). Stephens added a season-best five blocked shots and had an assist and a steal as the Mocs won their third straight.
 
For the week, Stephens shot 65.2 percent from the floor (15-for-23), including a 6-for-11 effort (.545) from beyond the arc, and was 17-for-20 from the free-throw line (.850).
 
Stephens claimed his second straight award and third this season. The honor is the eighth of his career, a mark that only four other players in league history have managed.
 
Chattanooga (5-3) hosts a pair of home games this week, welcoming Milwaukee on Tuesday at 7 p.m. and Johnson (Tenn.) University on Saturday at noon.
 
Other nominees: Jalen Haynes (ETSU), Mike Bothwell (Furman), Luis Hurtado Jr. (Mercer), Logan Dye (Samford), Sean Conway (VMI), Tyzhaun Claude (Western Carolina) and Messiah Jones (Wofford).
 
2022-23 SoCon Men’s Basketball Players of the Week
Nov. 14             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Nov. 21             Mike Bothwell, 5th, G, Furman
Nov. 28             Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga
Dec. 5              Jake Stephens, Gr., C, Chattanooga