ST. LOUIS – SIU men’s basketball players earned both of the Missouri Valley Conference’s weekly men’s basketball awards, the league announced Monday. Marcus Domask was named the league’s Player of the Week, and Ben Harvey was named the Newcomer of the Week.
Domask, a sophomore from Waupun, Wis., averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in leading SIU to a 2-0 week. Domask shot 57% from the field, 38% from the 3-point line and 88% from the free throw line. He played his best in the most crucial moment, scoring 14 of his game-high 24 points against SEMO in the game’s final 10 minutes, turning an 11-point deficit into an eight-point overtime win. He is the first Saluki to earn MVC Player of the Week as a sophomore since Anthony Beane in 2013-14.
Harvey, a transfer from Eastern Illinois, averaged 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2.5 assists for SIU in a 2-0 week. An Eastern Illinois transfer, Harvey scored 22 points in his SIU debut on Wednesday night, an overtime win over SEMO. He played his best in the biggest moments vs. SEMO, producing 8 points, 2 assists and a rebound in the game’s final 10 minutes, when SIU turned an 11-point deficit into an 8-point win. Through two games, he is shooting 12-of-21 from the field (57%), 3-of-6 from the 3-point line (50%) and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe (85%).
Both sophomores, Domask and Harvey are part of a young Saluki core that has seen 88% of its scoring come from freshmen and sophomores through two games.
SIU hosts Murray State on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. for the Charles Helleny Tip-Off Classic.
