INDIANAPOLIS -- Each scoring 20-plus points in both games over the weekend, Wright State junior guard Julius Mays (Marion, Ind./Marion) and Youngstown State senior guard Ashen Ward (Cleveland, Ohio/Villa Angela-St. Joseph) have been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Co-Players of the Week, for the week of Jan. 2-8.
The accolade is the second of the year for Mays, making him the first Horizon League men’s basketball player of the season to collect multiple honors, while Ward is the third different Penguin to record player of the week recognition this year.
Continuing his strong play, Mays eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in six games, scoring 24 points in a 63-62 loss to Butler and following up the effort with 21 in a 73-55 victory over Valparaiso. The 1-1 mark kept Wright State (9-9, 4-2 Horizon) within a half-game of first place in the conference. The junior went 12-of-23 from the field and 18-for-19 at the free-throw line.
Ward helped lift Youngstown State (9-6, 4-1 Horizon) to its best start since joining the Horizon League, knocking down 7-of-10 three-pointers as the Penguins defeated Loyola, 68-64, before a 71-50 win against UIC. The senior recorded 21 points in the overtime victory on Thursday before finishing with 22 on Saturday, marking the first time in his career he scored at least 20 points in consecutive games.
In conference play, Mays is leading the League in scoring at 18.0 ppg, while Ward is tied for fifth at 14.6 ppg. Since returning from injury on Dec. 20, Mays is averaging 21.5 ppg; Wright State is 5-1 in that stretch.
Mays will be featured in the Horizon League Network Game of the Week when Wright State visits Green Bay (6-9, 2-3 Horizon) on Saturday, Jan. 14, at 2 p.m. ET. The Raiders will open the weekend at Milwaukee (11-6, 4-1 Horizon) on Thursday, Jan. 12, in an 8 p.m. ET tip on the Horizon League Network.
Tied with the Panthers and Cleveland State atop the League ladder, Ward and Youngstown State hit the road on Friday, Jan. 13, heading to Valparaiso (10-7, 3-2 Horizon) for an 8:05 p.m. ET contest on HLN. The Penguins wrap up the weekend at Butler (9-8, 3-2 Horizon) at 2 p.m. ET on Sunday, Jan. 15, with HLN covering the game.
Top Performers for the Week:
-- Andrew Smith, Butler (Jr., F) - Smith knocked down two key three-pointers late in Butler’s 63-62 win at Wright State, leading the Bulldogs with 19 points. The total was the fifth time this year Smith led Butler in scoring.
-- Trey Harmon, Cleveland State (Sr., G) - Returning from injury, Harmon knocked down a career-best six three-pointers in 69-48 victory over Loyola. Harmon’s 20 points matched a season high.
-- Ray McCallum, Detroit (So., G) - Two nights after recording 22 points in a last-second loss to Valparaiso, McCallum handed out seven assists and added 12 points as Detroit knocked off Butler, 76-65. In his 50th career game, the sophomore went over 700 points for his career on Friday.
-- Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Fr., G) - The freshman scored a career-best 20 points in Green Bay’s 64-63 defeat at Milwaukee, marking the third time in his last five games that Sykes has scored 17 or more points. In conference play, Sykes is shooting 54.2 percent from the field.
-- Walt Gibler, Loyola (Sr., F) - Gibler extended his double-digit scoring streak to 10 games, moving within 58 points and 28 rebounds of becoming the 18th player in Loyola history to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. The senior tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 68-64 overtime loss at Youngstown State.
-- Paris Gulley, Milwaukee (Jr., G) - For the first time in his career, Gulley led Milwaukee in scoring in consecutive games, leading the Panthers with 18 points against Green Bay after a 16-point output at Western Michigan. The junior knocked down 54.5 percent of his three-pointers on the week.
-- Ryan Broekhoff, Valparaiso (Jr., F) - Broekhoff tallied his eighth double-double of the year at Wright State, an 18-point, 14-rebound effort. The junior has led the Crusaders in rebounding in 13 of 17 games this year, leading the Horizon League with 9.4 per game.
Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
November 14: D’Aundray Brown, Cleveland State
November 21: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
November 28: James Haarsma, Milwaukee
December 5: DuShawn Brooks, Youngstown State
December 12: Trey Harmon, Cleveland State
December 19: Andrew Smith, Butler
December 26: Brennan Cougill, Green Bay
Julius Mays, Wright State
January 2: Damian Eargle, Youngstown State
January 9: Julius Mays, Wright State
Ashen Ward, Youngstown State
