SAC Basketball Weekly Awards go to LMU’s Troyli, Catawba’s Merritt
After leading their respective teams to undefeated weeks that vaulted them in the SAC basketball standings, Lincoln Memorial forward Jake Troyli and Catawba center Elizabeth Merritt have been voted as the conference's Players of the Week.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – After leading their respective teams to undefeated weeks that vaulted them in the SAC basketball standings, Lincoln Memorial forward Jake Troyli and Catawba center Elizabeth Merritt have been voted as the conference's Players of the Week.
Troyli averaged 26 points and 8.5 rebounds as LMU picked up victories over Carson-Newman and Wingate to move back into a tie atop the conference standings.
Troyli scored a career-high 32 points on 14-of-19 shooting as LMU won at Carson-Newman, 80-63, on Wednesday. He just missed a double-double in the game, finishing with nine rebounds.
The senior then scored 20 on Saturday as LMU won 60-58 in a showdown with Wingate, which entered the contest unbeaten in conference play. He also added eight rebounds and three blocks in the victory.
Troyli is currently seventh in the SAC in scoring at 15.8 points per game.
Merritt got Catawba back above the .500 mark in the conference standings as she paced the Indians in wins over Mars Hill on Wednesday and Carson-Newman on Saturday. The Lexington, N.C. native averaged 21 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in the two games.
Merritt opened the week by tallying 17 points and six rebounds in Catawba's 69-62 win over Mars Hill. She then went for 25 points and seven boards in a 66-58 victory at Carson-Newman. The senior's free-throw shooting was key in the win over the Eagles, as she finished 11-of 12.
Merritt is now seventh in the league in scoring at 14.1 points per game and 11th in rebounding average at 5.8.