Joel Martinez, Southwestern University, Player of the Week (Week Thirteen)

Martinez entered the starting lineup on Feb. 9 against Trinity after Southwestern hit a three-game losing streak. The Pirates responded with four consecutive wins, including three last week, to clinch the No. 1 seed in the SCAC Tournament. 

 

Needing a road win against Texas Lutheran to keep the Pirates in contention for the SCAC regular season title and shot at the top seed in the tournament, Martinez put together is strongest outing of the week, pouring in 19 points on 8-of-9 shooting, collecting six rebounds and dishing out four assists to help secure a 10-point victory. He then followed that performance up with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists in a crucial, 72-61, win over Centenary. 

 

For the week, Martinez averaged 14 points on 60 percent shooting (15-of-25), 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 record and a share of the SCAC regular season title. 

Other outstanding performances in the SCAC:
Junior forward CooXooEii Black of Colorado College scored 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds to lead Colorado College to a 75-61 victory at Johnson & Wales University in the season finale for both teams on Saturday afternoon at the Wildcat Center. Sophomore guard Josh Bashford of Schreiner led the Mountaineers to a pair of SCAC wins last week and the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament after averaging 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Senior guard Nathan Josephs of Texas Lutheran averaged 18.7 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.7 rebounds as the Bulldogs went 1-2 to close out the SCAC regular season. Josephs had 14 points in the loss to Southwestern, 26 in the win over Austin College, and 16 in the loss to Centenary. Senior forward Danny Rivara of Trinity led the Tigers to a split in its final week of the regular season to help the Tigers qualify for next weekend’s SCAC Tournament. Rivara averaged 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game for the Tigers, shooting 56.5% (13-23) from the field and a perfect 8-8 from the foul line.